Dark Past, Haunted Future
by DarkHiems-hime
Summary: [Sequel 2 Silent Tears] Take a look at the daily life of Kai Hiwatari and the rest of the BladeBreakers. Learn more about Iris Blanchett and her conflicting emotions. A bit of everything is about to happen. Full sum inside. KaiOC, OCTalaOC, RayMariah
1. Memories

**Dark: Ah, the sequel-that-never-got-the-chance-2-b-posted xDD Ok, same drill, updates every Sunday, unless I'm full 2 the brim w/ skool work or tests or whatever else my private skool can come up w/. U dun really need 2 read _Silent Tears_ 2 fully understand this one, but I'd advise u 2, really. **

**Disclaimer:** Moi owns nuthin' but the characters u dun recognize (& this time, there r a whole lot of them xD). Steal them & I'll offer u a stay at Portugal & make sure u die out of boredom during that time. Also, **Viscera Nigror Team** belongs 2 Tenebrae Rosa. Description of all OC's can b found at the end of the Prologue.  
  
**Summary:** "You cannot escape from your past. Or deny your future. Because they now know, and they'll come!" her eyes locked with her silver ones, "You are the reason why this is happening. You, the Praeceptrix. But you are also the one who can put an end to this slaughter." Kai/OC, OCTalaOC, Ray/Mariah hinted.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Prologue... Memories  
**  
(6th June; Tokyo, Japan)

One year.

It's a short amount of time when you're with your friends. But when you stare listlessly to a wall or a ceiling for hours on end, thinking about that person, the most important one of your whole life...

It's an awfully long time. Especially when you really don't want to be thinking about that someone.

Kai Hiwatari, now at the age of fifteen, wrote the last word of his History assessment. Leaning back on his chair, he glanced half-heartedly at his wristwatch, _In a week, the school ends. And in six days, that's it. A year. A whole year. Exactly one year ago, I met the one who changed my life forever... Iris... _He looked through the window, to the bright blue sky_, Seems so long ago._ He got up and delivered his exam, picking up his things on his way. Exiting the classroom, he made his way out of the school and into the nearest café. He sipped the bottle of water he bought, as he returned home.

Once in the enormous Hiwatari Manor, he climbed the stairs, entering his room. In his way to the wide balcony he had, he picked up a photo frame. Once there, he sat on the railings, his back against the wall. His eyes swept over the picture, a finger running over the black haired girl on it. How he missed her... As she was still on the run from BIOVOLT, they couldn't even contact each other... Pure hell. And pure madness. But he could never forget her. Much to his displeasure. _I've become too attached to her...  
_  
Their trainings here in Japan... The tournament's finals... The fear he felt for her... On the finals and then on the Abbey. How he almost lost her there again... And their night together. Finally, that good bye. How could he forget? Even if no one had seemed to notice, he saw the silent tears sliding down her cheeks. Little did she know, his heart was breaking at the sight. That was also the last time he ever saw her. Excluding in his thoughts, of course. She was always there, constantly. Her voice, her figure, her eyes... He knew she was okay, Dranzer said so each time he asked. And he hated himself for it. _Too many feelings... Too many weaknesses..._

Speaking of which... The teen took out his beyblade. As usual, the bit chip shined reassuringly, letting him know he was listening.

: She is just fine, young Master... :

The same answer, always. And the irony of the situation couldn't be ignored either: in a few weeks, another tournament was coming. This time in Brazil. _And they speak Portuguese too..._ He groaned inwardly, _One more thing to make me remember her..._ His mobile suddenly rang, as a message arrived. Ray's.

'_Max and Tyson arrived sooner. Training starts now, if u can make it.'  
_  
_'If you can make it'... You should have written 'Please, say no'..._ He shook his head, stepping outside the mansion again. He smirked lightly, _A new tournament... Maybe she'll be there..._ Shrugging off the good memories, he continued on his way. _Maybe then I'll forget these feelings... I have to. I **need** to.  
_  
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(24th June; Porto, Portugal)

"NOOOOOO! GET AWAY!"

A loud scream made the people look with disdain at three teens. Almost getting under a car, a scared girl ran from two boys. One of them was laughing, holding up a cockroach, chasing the girl. The other male was chasing the other two, apologising to the people around them.

"PLEASE, get it away, Rui! Release it! NOW! Oh, please not that!" as much as Shauna liked to play along, Rui was exaggerating. _He KNOWS I hate those twitchy, black, nasty, horrible things!_

"Aww, c'mon! Just pet the little guy and I'll let it go. Come on, pwease? For me?"

"Rui! Do you mind! Stop it; look at the childish figure we're giving out!" Axel kept chasing the boy in front of him, but around so many people, it was difficult.

_My salvation!_ Shauna jumped over Iris' gates, rounding the corner and climbing up the stairs as quickly as she could with her god-damned high heeled sandals. Taking out the spare key from under the old rug, she entered the house, breaking into a run again, "Iris!"

Said female got up from hearing music and speaking with Tiffany, quirking an eyebrow at the panting brown-haired girl, "What is it now, Shauna?"

The tired girl collapsed onto the couch, taking her time to catch her breath, "Rui... caught a cockroach... was chasing me... with it...!" she made a disgusted face, "Everyone knows I abhor those little... things!"

The DT Duet sweatdropped. Just then, a knock at the door sounded.

"I'll get it." The French girl winked, smirking. Walking out of the sitting room and onto the veranda, she opened the door, looking at the other two boys, "Yes? To buy cockroaches? Nah, not interested..." she closed the door in their faces, chuckling. They knocked again, followed by a row of swearing and threats. She opened it again, leaned in and kissed Rui right on the lips, making him release the dizzy insect in surprise. It flew away, as she pulled back.

Rui smirked, "Ah, Boisvert, I always knew you had a crush on me..."

Tif rolled her vivid blue eyes, letting the both of them enter, "Pff, whatever... Anyway, what was your grade at History?"

The other blonde coughed, "Hmm, a grand 95! As usual..."

"Yeah, right, backwards, so you got 59..."

"Hey! Can you do any better, Blanchett? That teacher hates my guts! At least it's a positive..."

"Well, I've got 98." Everyone turned to the shortest girl in surprise. Iris placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, Shauna **is** the best of our class at History. Better get used to it..." Rui ended up pouting, as everyone else laughed softly.

Iris smiled softly. All this brought back painful memories. _Damn, I miss him... So much... It's just not the same. But, maybe, just maybe, he'll go to the Brazilian Tournament! I hope so... It would be great to battle him. _She couldn't, wouldn't forget him. _He changed my life... made me **feel** alive... Safe in his arms._ They promised each other, she knew, but still... _Will we be able to keep it? Everything changed after that tournament. BIOVOLT's still after me, wherever they are now. I'm glad that Black Dranzer isn't with them anymore though._ But like Lugiohan said, Kai was just fine. However, she couldn't shake this feeling away... Something was about to happen. Something bad. _Soon. Very soon.  
_  
She came out of her reverie to see everyone staring intently at her, "What?"

"Are you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're thinking about him, aren't you? I know you are..." Tif started, but Iris cut her off before she would reveal too much to the others.

"Right, train. Let's go, guys... We're leaving in three days!" as she walked away, the rest of them changed knowing stares behind her back, but as it had happened before, they kept silent. There was nothing they could say to make her change her mind. She would turn deaf, mute and blind as long as they kept asking her about her past. So, following her example, they got ready to train.

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(27th June; Agadir, Morocco)

After almost being killed by their fans, the BladeBreakers finally arrived to the quay where their ship would leave to take them to Brazil. School was over and they were ready. They had flown to Agadir, west Morocco by plane, and as usual, Tyson was complaining.

"Ohhhhhh, it's soooooooooooo hot... And I'm soooooooooo thirsty! Can't we go and buy something?"

"Do you speak French?"

"Errr, no; so what, Kai?"

"They only speak French here. So, keep quiet and wait for the ship. Soon, you'll be sick of water, don't worry. It's two weeks till we arrive at Fortaleza."

"Pleeeeeeeease, don't remind me..." the ship hadn't even arrived, and Chief was already feeling ill, while everyone else snickered silently. Or in Kai's case, smirked.

A lot of beybladers had already arrived, most of them from Europe. Where they were standing, the noise of old friends meeting and knowing others was almost unbearable. But Kai tried to ignore them. If not, the BladeBreakers couldn't participate on the tournament.

His cinnamon eyes snapped open as he recognized one of the languages. He would never forget the rough sounds and quick words of Portuguese. Two girls were discussing, and he couldn't shake the sensation that he knew one of them...

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(27th June; Agadir, Morocco)

"...And don't forget, if you say you want a tea, they'll bring you a cat (1)!" Rui continued to laugh his head off at the lame joke, while the rest of them tried to make the people who were looking at him believe they didn't know him at all.

"Please, will you keep quiet? Everyone's looking..." Tif placed her cap lower, covering most of her face, "Look at the figure you're giving out!" Even in her ¾ light jeans and beige crop top she was feeling too hot, and the playboy beside her wasn't helping her mood.

"Meh, so what?"

"Ahhhhhhh, look, the beach! Wow, it seems like the girls enjoy the sun pretty much..." Iris said loud enough for him to hear. Contrary to the others, she looked just fine in her dark grey blue jeans and sleeveless red top, much to their surprise.

"Wha- GIRLS? **WHERE**!" the boy ran towards the sea, as fast as he could, leaving the rest of them to sigh in relief. While Rui was searching the 'beach', the others came to a stop, waiting for the ship. The trip from Porto to Casablanca, and then to Agadir was long, not to mention tiring.

Shauna let out a sigh, pouring water on her curls from a bottle, adjusting her top to show her navel, "Urrgh, and I say Portugal is hot! How can you do it, Iris!"

The black haired girl shrugged casually, "I'm used to it, I guess... I'm ok."

"Speak for yourself! If that damned ship doesn't come quick, I'm gonna DIE!" the tomboy crossed her arms over her chest, frowning as some guys looked at her. Contrary to most girls, the French hated that.

"Woo, big hyperbole there, don't you think?"

"STOP WITH THE LUSIADS (2) SHIT! I HATE THAT STUFF AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Chill, I was just joking!" Iris placed her arms in front of her in a peace sign, quirking an eyebrow at her friend.

"Well, don't!"

The other girl grinned, clearing her throat, "Singing, I'll spread-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH! IRIS!" electric blue eyes flashed in anger as Tif chased the other girl, both laughing like crazy, Iris still reciting a few lines from the damnable book once in a while.

"You, only you, pure love, with raw strength-!"

"Okie, I think that's enough, Blanchy." The older girl came to a stop, getting tired.

"What the hell did you call me?"

"What? Blanchett, therefore Blanchy! It's cute!"

"I'm not cute! Come back here, you!" and the chasing restarted.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Kai must've heard wrong. No, no, no one said 'Blanchett', no one. No need to worry or look at the group of teens chasing each other. _No._

"Ahh, my salvation! The ship! Woooooowwww, BIG ship!" Tyson grinned at seeing the monstrosity come closer to the dock. "Now I can drink something!"

"Do you speak Portuguese, or Brazilian, by the way, Tyson?"

"Umm, noooo, why?"

"The ship's brazilian, you idiot. They won't understand you."

"What! NOOOOOO!" Tyson started running around in circles, horrified with the new information.

"Err, you're joking, right?" Ray quirked an eyebrow at Tyson, waiting for Kai's reply.

"Of course I am. But he always believes in everything I say." He smirked.

As a tanned, well built man, obviously the ship's captain, leaned over the edge of the ship, he started speaking. Errr, or so they thought, as they didn't understand a single thing. And suddenly, "I was joking, kids! Of course I know how to speak English!" there was a big sigh of relief from most part of the crowd, "We're taking you over to Fortaleza, a beautiful city indeed! This ship's pretty big, so, do come aboard!"

"Kai! What the hell! I trusted you!" Tyson pointed an accusing finger at Kai, looking angered, "How could you do it! Oh, the thought of not knowing how to ask for food!" everyone sweatdropped at that.

"I didn't say it was true, did I, stupid?"

"Grrr!"

A giggle was heard from their side, as a girl with rich light brown hair approached them, "I don't really think you should have come if you don't understand a single thing."

"You're brazilian?" Chief couldn't help but ask.

"Ah, no! I'm Portuguese! My name's Shauna, nice to meet the Wold Champions, eh?" she pecked their cheeks as a greeting and nodded at Kai, as he walked away.

"Of course, hehe! I'm Tyson!"

"So I've noticed."

"Hey, SHAUNA!" the Japanese boys looked oblivious as a blonde boy came over, talking to their new friend in that same strange language.

"They don't speak our language, silly!" Shauna quickly intervened in the other's speech.

"Oh, sorry.. I didn't notice that... I'm Rui, by the way."

"Ru... Why do you press so much on the 'r'?"

"Err, well, I dunno, my name's like that..." Rui rubbed the back of his neck in a typically Tyson-fashion, "You must be Ray."

The Chinese boy nodded, "Yeah."

"Thought so. The BladeBreakers, huh?"

"Rui!"

"Shauna!"

"Coming, Axel/Tiago!" the portuguese couple shouted at two exact copies, two tall black-haired boys.

"Bleh, we gotta go..."

"That's ok. You'll go to the tournament, that right?" Max smiled, giving a high five to Rui.

They both nodded, "Course we will!"

"See ya around!"

"Bye guys!"

"Bye!" Tyson waved till they were out of sight, "Wow, that's a relief!"

"Umm, why do you say that?"

"Well, now, if we ever need something like FOOD, we can ask THEM to help!"

"Tyson!" the gang fell anime-style at their naïve team member. They started to make their way towards the ship.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

After everybody was installed and after a good night's sleep, in the morning, the DT Duet had already started joking around.

"They talk and talk and talk..." one started.

"But I don't see them doing nothing!" the other continued.

"Of course we end up annoyed!" they both finished.

"Will you two just... SHUT UP!" Axel got out of their dorms, waving his arms widely, looking extremely pissed off. In his anger, he almost knocked Tyson to the floor, as the World Champions (minus Kai) came out of their own room, which by the way, was just beside theirs.

"Hey! Watch it!" Tyson complained, rubbing his shoulder, where the older boy had hit him.

"Des- Sorry..." the Portuguese captain threw over his shoulder as he continued to walk away.

Suddenly, two, definitely female laughs were heard. A blonde girl came out, a mischievous glint in her turquoise hues, grinning evilly, came out and behind her, a black haired one followed, grasping the former girl's shoulder to balance herself.

Ray's eyes widened slightly, whispering, "Is that who I think it is?"

Same sleek, silky-looking black hair, its tips a rich red tinge, even if it looked slightly shorter and wilder.

Same piercings on the ears, even if another one was on her left eyebrow.

Same clear silver/blue eyes, behind long thick black lashes.

Same frame, even if slightly more developed.

And the same melodic voice, now clearly amused, speaking in the quick and strange language to her friend as they both laughed and snickered.

There was no denying it. Same old Iris Catherine Blanchett, now a year older, in all her teenage glory.

Before they could say anything though, the girls walked away, following the retreating boy, calling "Axel!" on their way.

"Kai's in for a biiiiiiiiig surprise, guys..."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Half way through the morning, the three girls finally arrived at the canteen, looking around the place.

"Let's seat over there!"

"But Tif, the boys don't have a seat."

"Does that matter? They're boys! They're always 'standing'!"

"TIFFANY!" the other girls looked at the blonde, horrified that she would speak of something like that in the middle of a canteen.

"For God's sake, woman, we're going to eat, 'k? **Don't** speak of that!" Iris shook her head, as she walked towards the self-service buffet.

"Ditto..."

"Go to the damn table, then! Why does it have to be **that** one anyways?"

"Hmm, it has a great view!"

Shauna and Iris turned quickly. Indeed, one of the beyblade teams was standing near the table, its members all male, which would suit Tif's tastes for men perfectly.

"I should've known..."

"Hehe, orange juice, milk and cereals sounds good to me! See ya!"

The remaining girls sighed, "She'll never change..."

"Look over there, Iris! See those boys? The ones that are going out just now? They're the BladeBreakers! I've been talking to them last-"

Shauna stopped mid-sentence as Iris almost broke a few plates for turning around so quickly. There they were. Her friends. And most importantly, **he** was there. _Kai..._

"Kai!" she quickly ran towards him, stopping a couple of feet away, a smile plastered to her face, "I didn't knew you were here!" her feet started to step closer to him.

The boy's expression didn't seem to change in the least. But he couldn't deny what he was feeling. And he couldn't ignore Dranzer.

: Please, don't do this, Kai! Please! It's wrong, please, Master, don't do it::

But he did his best to do so. He just nodded at her.

_Try to fly away, but it's impossible...  
__And every breath I take gives birth to deeper sighs._

_And for a moment I am weak, so it's hard for me to speak..  
Even thought we're underneath the same blue sky._

_If I could paint a picture of this melody,  
__It would be a violin without its strings.  
__And the canvas in my mind sings the songs I left behind..  
__Like pretty flowers and a sunset...  
_  
An insecure feeling started to be felt, creating a slight pain in her heart. One of her eyebrows rose, "Kai? Something wrong?" she walked towards him again, but he took a step back. "What's-?"

"That's enough."

_It's heavy on my heart...  
__I can't make it alone!  
__Heavy on my heart...  
__I can't find my way home! _

_Heavy on my heart...  
_

_So come and free me..  
__It's so heavy on my heart._

Those words entered her brain, piercing her sanity. But she didn't comprehend them. "Wh-What?"

"I said, that's enough."

She shook her head hopelessly, "I-I don't understand-"

"We're through. It's over! Do you understand it now!"

_I've had my share of pleasure and I've tasted pain.  
__I never thought that I would touch an angel's wing.. _

_There's a journey in my eyes,  
__It's getting hard for to hide...  
__Like the ocean at the sunrise..  
_  
From the second those words came out of his full lips, her blood ran cold. Various thoughts ran through her head, none of them making any sense. She just managed to mouth, "Why?"

"This. Is. Over. Do you want me to spell it for you too?"

"How can you say that- How can you be so cold!"

_It's heavy on my heart...  
__I can't make it alone!  
__Heavy on my heart...  
__I can't find my way home!_

_Heavy on my heart...  
_

_So come and free me..  
__It's so heavy on my heart._

"It's the way I am." Kai whispered quietly, slowly turning away from her, ignoring the unbelieving stares of his team-mates. She could almost swear she saw hurt in those mahogany depths, but he was already walking away before she could be sure.

_Love,  
__Can you find me in the darkness?  
__And Love,  
__Don't let me down..  
__  
There's a journey in my eyes,  
__It's getting hard for me to hide,  
__And I never thought that I'd touch an angel's wing!_

"What the hell's wrong with you! The girl cried over you, not knowing how you were, worried about your well affair, and that's how you repay her?" the blond boy from yesterday, Rui, entered just then, catching the last few lines. He started walking in Kai's direction, his eyebrows set in a deep scowl, "You must have a reason. You don't just say 'it's over' without one."

"I just did. Got a problem with that?"

"Yes, we do, actually." A well built boy also entered, followed by his twin, both frowning as deeply as Rui was doing, "I think she has the right to know why."

Iris's eyes were brimming with tears by now, as she tried to brush them away vainly, "Kai-"

"Don't you dare saying another word, bitch. I told you, we're through. I won't say it again. I don't want you."

_It's heavy on my heart...  
__Heavy on my heart...  
__I can't find my way home!  
__Heavy on my heart...  
_

_So come and free me..  
__It's so heavy on my heart._

And that was it. He said it; the forbidden word. Everyone gasped, while Kai just looked down at her coldly and her eyes widened. Both their bit-chips shinned indignantly, angered at Kai's bluntness.

"How dare you!" Axel stepped forwards, but luckily, the other two boys stopped him.

"The only thing that you definitely **don't **want is to admit your own feelings! And just because you're too fucking stubborn to even realise that-"

The back of a strong hand hit her hard across the cheek, make her stagger momentarily. Kai's.

_So heavy..._

There was a heavy silence among the gaping teens that watched. No one dared to make a sound. They only looked from one to another, to see how this would end up. And it wasn't going to be anything near pretty.

"You know what? I really **don't** have to hear this.." reaching up to her collar bone, her fingers grasped something, as she pulled on whatever it was, hard. She threw it to the floor, fire in her eyes, as they changed to red and back to silvery blue, as she struggled to keep her feelings in check. She exited the room quickly.

_So heavy..._

In the wooden floor of the ship, glistening faintly in the light, there was the ring he had given her, which was now made a necklace, as it had a thin silver chain through it.  
_  
So heavy..._

"You sure have some guts to say and do that to her..." Tif glared daggers at Kai as she passed by him, quickening her pace to go after her friend, "Especially you. You know about her past, her weaknesses. You had no right to say that!"

The rest of the Dominatrix team also left, each of them glaring and frowning at the slate-haired teen, while he just stood there. After they were gone, Kai picked up the small necklace and started to walk away.

"That girl was right, Kai! How could you?"

"I cared enough. That time ended." _And memories will be the only thing that will remain. Never again... Mark my words, Blanchett._

* * *

...TBC...

(1) **tea/cat: in portuguese, 'tea' is 'chá'. Which u say in the exact same way as u wud say 'cat' in French, 'chat'. So, if u ask 4 a tea in portuguese, a french person will probably bring u a cat XD**

(2) **The Lusiads/'Os Lusiadas': a horrible book which every damn student has 2 study on the 9th grade. It was written on 1500 or so, and it's an epic poem, telling about the 'so-called' glory of the Lusitanian ppl (portuguese ppl). It has a language that's not spoken 4 over 2 centuries ago (probably more) & it's damn boring. One of the 2 banes of the existence of all Portuguese students.**

**Dominatrix Team **

Captain: Axel Roth

Co-captain: Iris Blanchett

Rest of the team: Shauna Lopes, Rui Denzel and Tiffany Boisvert.

**...Axel...  
**  
Age: 16

Family: his twin brother, Tiago (a/n:. or Titi, like the DT Duet like 2 call him hehe...), usually helps the team with the technical stuff

Nationality: French/Portuguese

Home country: Portugal

Past: a childhood like most spoil brats have, except he's not spoiled. He met Iris at the age of 5, but they only became friends after some misadventures.

Clothing: to combat, he usually uses baggy dark jeans, along with a black long sleeved shirt, a white t-shirt over it. Likes of practical things.

Physically: spiky jet-black hair, two inches long. His eyes are of a very dark brown colour and he's quite tanned. As he works out, he supports a very good built. He's the tallest.

Psychologically: he's the wise one of the group. A bit like Ray with a mixture of Robert, let's say. Has the feeling he needs to keep an eye on the others and hates pranks. Otherwise, he's usually nice and caring, but sometimes lets his anger get the better of him.

Bitbeast: Dromme. A dragon. Dromme is very alike Dragoon; with only a few changes: his claws are shorter, change the blue colour to white one and his eyes to black.

Beyblade: Right spin, white and silver in colour. The attack ring has three sharp edges that, contrary to the four edged ones, are pointing forwards and not sideways (a/n:. if u dun understand, it's not really important, I just like 2 give details XD). His weight disk is very light, allowing him extra speed and endurance.

Element: Wind.

Description: for such a big bit beast, he's extremely fast. His strategy is to tire his opponent, as Axel has a very good endurance. If one of these two is angry, it's wiser not to step in their way.

**…Iris...** (yes, she changed her looks n.n)

Age: 14 3/4

Family: all dead, sister killed in front of her.

Nationality: French/Portuguese.

Home country: Portugal.

Past: she was kidnapped at the age of six. She has no memories about her family except from her sister. Since then, she has her bitbeast and trained a lot, turning into one of the best bladers around and one of the most feared ones in her country. All her life she was tortured, raped and abused.

Clothing: join a piercing at her left eyebrow and her likes didn't change much... Always with her necklace in place, her gloves changed to dark red fingerless ones, just till her wrist, but her arms are still covered by two black mittens, which reach till half of her arm, along with sleeveless shirts, normally very dark or very light, jeans or baggy pants. Finally letting go of her fear for skirts, sometimes she wears mini skirts, although with shorts underneath.

Physically: she cut her black mane till half of her back and strangely enough, the three or four inch long red tips returned, after some time. Still with a heart shaped face and full red lips. Her eyes are the same, silver/light-blue when she's happy, blood red when she's pissed off. Her muscles are slightly more defined, still with the narrow waist. Her curves filled out a bit more.

Psychologically: the fear of boys diminished partially, but she only trusts the males she already knows. She's shy, comprehensive, a good hearer, a nice person, but very vengeful. But, never put her along with Tif, for they're the devil, when reunited. The normally called DT Duet, as in Devious Trouble Duet. On the battlefield she's fast, very powerful and merciless; she likes to end the game quickly.

Bitbeast: Lugiohan (read Lugui-oh-ahn). A white phoenix, similar to Dranzer. She's very pretty and gracious. Eyes green and the tips of her wings are red as her mistress' hair.

Beyblade: black, the tips of the attack ring blood red. Right spin. The attack ring has four parts. Her weight disk changed to a slightly lighter one, giving her a better balance, still with the firmness she likes.

Element: Thunder.

Attacks: Thunder clasp (lightning attacks the opponent), Seeker Spirit (her special) and hypnotism.

Description: Lugiohan's very loyal to Iris. They have a very strong bond and they speak telepathically. She belonged to Iris' sister, but when she died, Lugiohan was passed to Iris.

**…Shauna...  
**  
Age: 15

Family: the one we always wanted to have. Her parents give her all the freedom she so wishes. Has two sisters.

Nationality: Portuguese.

Home country: Portugal

Past: also went to rich schools, but used to work to get her own things.

Clothing: always in a mini skirt, various shirts and her black waist length coat over them. Normally, she wears high heels. Five piercings on her right ear, one on her left and one on her navel.

Physically: light brown eyes and very light brown hair, some golden tresses here and there, completely curly. She's the girly-girl of the group, but only on her looks. With a thin frame and a model-like stance, most boys have their eyes on her. The shortest girl of the group.

Psychologically: in a word, she's relaxed. When everything's down, you can count on her to always say 'Chill out'. She trusts most people and loves to get into Rui's games, not to mention she has a crush on him. Unfortunately, she's a pessimist, and even if she does not voice it, she thinks Rui doesn't like her in the least. Wise on the battle field, she's never intimidated easily.

Bitbeast: Ariana. A jaguar.

Beyblade: in a mixture of beige and very light pink, she's a master in defence. The blade base is quite low, letting her use a good type of defence ring. Left rotation. Her attack ring may be simple, but it's enough for her style.

Element: Ice.

Description: Ariana is very gracious, pretty much like Galux. Her speciality is speed and doesn't let the pressure pull her down.

**…Rui...  
**  
Age: 15

Family: is rich, and that's the reason why he escaped from home. He now lives on his own.

Nationality: Portuguese

Home country: Portugal  
  
Past: you may think he had a easy life, but not in the least. His parents were always away, never caring about him, until he got away.

Clothing: You'll never see him without a t-shirt of his football club, FC Porto. Simple Nike trainers, loose pants, that tee and he's ready. Uses two dark wristbands.

Physically: A dream boy. Yup, the short and very light blond hair over blue eyes. Ok, left one green and the other blue, but you know what I mean. Has a great built and he's the second tallest. The small loop he has on the top of his left ear only makes him look better.

Psychologically: simply, he's your usual playboy, his performance better than Enrique's. Likes to be the centre of attention and blabbing about himself, although knows when to be serious. His favourite hobby is flirting with girls, especially with Shauna, since he has a crush on her. However, he's too blind to see how he really hurts her by playing with her just like that.

Bitbeast: Zephyrus. A grey wolf, with tips of white fur here and there, with two tails, his eyes blue. Seems imposing and intimidating at the same time.

Beyblade: what else? White and blue, of course. Right spin, normal weight disk and a firm base. In blading, he uses a free-style attitude, and loses his temper quite easily. You can compare him to Tyson in some ways.

Element: Wind.

Description: Zephyrus is a very powerful bit beast, and very ancient. Is a master on the attack and rarely enters in defence techniques. Likes to play around with his opponents just to finish them off in an instant right after.

**…Tiffany...  
**  
Age: 14 3/4

Family: doesn't know anything about

Nationality: French

Home country: France, but always lived in Portugal.

Past: knows Iris almost since birth. Since then, they're like sisters. She was used to live by her own and work for herself to survive.

Clothing: normally in beige or black colours, or a mixture of those two. Likes wearing tops, but her femininity stops there. She always wears ¾ pants or normal trousers, always with trainers.

Physically: Turquoise eyes, the roots of her hair are dark brown, and the rest a shockingly blond tinge. She's tanned and very pretty, even if there's always a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Psychologically: knowing Iris was a very BAD experience! She's the Queen of Pranks and loves to piss off Axel, which is very easy. She's your usual tomboy, but also very moody. You don't want her as an enemy. As Iris, she's vengeful.

Bitbeast: Ignisithar. A black winged unicorn, hooves and horn golden, with red piercing eyes.

Beyblade: the weight disk is surrounded by small, very sharp edges, making it practically deadly when fighting bladers who use defence or endurance to win. It's a copy of Iris', but where hers is red, Tiffany's is golden.

Element: Fire.

Description: when called, is usually lethal. Only obeys to Tiffany and is very powerful. To be defeated, one has to attack her right after she does, for Ignisithar's energy drops a bit.

**Viscera Nigror Team**

Captain: Tenebrae Rosa

Co-captain: Forest Romano

Rest of the team: Kironi Ngo

**…Tenebrae...  
**  
Age: 15

Family: None.

Nationality: Russian

Home country: Russia

Past: Her parents died when she was just a baby and was left stranded on the streets of Russia, but was found by the co-head of Biovolt. She was then trained to be one of the ruthless beybladers but she still has pure innocence deep inside of her.

Clothing: Trainers, black baggy pants hugging her hips and pink sleeveless top hugging every curve of her body.

Physically: Her long brown hair was cut short up to her nape, the edges all spiked out. Her eyes are of a sparkling violet colour and she's very fair. She's the tallest.

Psychologically: She's the wise one of the group. A bit like Ray with a ting of her own sweetness. She's protective of her friends and would do anything to avenge them, even if it means taking her own life out.

Bitbeast: Deathscythe. A Black Angel who has the power of Death.

Beyblade: Left spin, black and silver in colour. The attack ring has three sharp edges that, contrary to the four edged ones, are pointing backwards and not sideways. Her weight disk is very light, allowing her extra speed and endurance.

Element: Dark

Attacks: Black Feather Arrows and Dark Sparkles

Description: She's extremely dangerous and powerful. Far more powerful than Black Dranzer. Her black wings help her endure the attacks from her opponents but you better watch out for her own attacks.

**…Forest...**

Age: 14 3/4

Family: Sister works in Australia with the Koala Bears; older brother is at home looking after their sick mother.

Nationality: Canadian/British.

Home country: Canada.

Past: She was one of the most happiest kids in the world until she witnessed her father leaving her family, despite the fact that she was Daddy's little girl. Her mother started to get depressed in which she became sick and she ran away and stayed at the Blade Sanctuary in Canada to train and become one of the strongest beybladers. She entered as many tournaments there are in order to win enough money for her mother's operation.

Clothing: Black boots up to her ankles, wears skirt five centimetres above her knees. Joining her black skirt is her soft green top, the sleeves going off her shoulders. She wears her favourite birthday necklace and matching bracelet.

Physically: Her long black hair is streaked with green and her dull forest-green eyes are now sparkled with joy.

Psychologically: she's very competitive in the tournament when money is involved as the prize, but overall is gentle.

Bitbeast: Lacuna. A black canine with nine tails. Eyes emerald green and emerald green patterns on each of its tails.

Beyblade: Green. Two sharp blades. Medium weight disk. Small base. A beyblade that has a strong defence and medium endurance and attack.

Element: Earth.

Attacks: Earthquake.

Description: Lacuna once belonged to Forest's father when she was small. They have a strong bond and they feel each other's emotions.

**…Kironi...  
**  
Age: 15

Family: A stepmother, two snobbish step sisters and a dead father.

Nationality: Korean.

Home country: Korea

Past: Once her stepmother entered her life, she was treated as a slave. Ran away and met with a beyblading team in a park sometime after.

Clothing: Sometimes wears the traditional Chinese clothes like Ray's, but usually wears shorts and a turtle neck sleeveless top.

Physically: Jet-black hair and rich brown eyes. Completely wavy and up to her waist, pulled up into a high ponytail.

Psychologically: Completely negative. Since she became a slave, she had to defend herself against her step family: this means being rude, cold hearted and short-tempered. And will remain like this to strangers.

Bitbeast: Hailey is a blue phoenix similar to Dranzer with eyes bright red.

Beyblade: In a mixture of baby blue and black, she's a master in defence. The blade base is quite low, letting her use a good type of defence ring. Right rotation. Her attack ring may be simple, but it's enough for her style.

Element: Ice.

Attacks: Ice crystals.

Description: Hailey has a huge pride from her herd and is never a push over. Always teaches the other bit beasts a lesson. Is still sore that Deathscythe had to become the leader of the team.

* * *

**Thanks 2 (From Silent Tears' Epilogue):  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **yh, I wondered about that myself quite a couple of times. When the time comes, I'll ask 4 ppl's opinion about it. & yh, this isn't completed as of yet. Like u kno, some other things got me hooked :P so, I've been neglecting this a bit. But I'll finish, it even if it kills me, I swear**

hiwatarisaori: **aww, thank u :D Like I already told u, it's reviews like urs that make my day & make me work my lazy ass off on this. Hope u'll read this & like it as much ;)**

**Dark:** **Plz review & I'm open 2 suggestions this time xD Come back 4 more next week**


	2. Twisted Fate

**Dark: Here's next chap. Ack, u'r lucky, I wasn't gonna post this today. From the middle of the afternoon onwards, my day was just wasted & Maths eating my sanity in the slowest way possible. **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 1... Twisted Fate  
**  
Iris was mad.

Nah, that's an understatement. She was beyond being mad. A mixture of being enraged, humiliated, angered beyond words, sad, woeful... The list went on and on.

Her foot connected with the door in front of her, making it open wide and slam into the wall beside it. At the moment, she didn't notice it. She couldn't. She didn't hear, she didn't see anything beyond red.

_First, he says it's over... Why? Then, calls me a... a... the b-word. Fucking bastard! How dare he? He bloody knows what happened! He knows everything! Why!_ The softly sniffing girl made her way to the railings of the ship, looking at the sea.

The calm sea. The blue sky. The white fluffy clouds. Her eyes turned away from the beautiful scene, disgust in her features. As she looked to the side, a familiar blonde head entered her field of vision, much to her surprise. Tiffany. And she was a bit shocked to see her place something on her lips from its resting place in between her fingers. _Not again..._

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Tif watched in amazement as the smoke floated from her slightly parted lips, the nicotine calming her ranging mind. She was just as mad as her best friend, if not more. _That asshole didn't have the right. He fucking knows it! And yet, he did it. _She sighed, "He doesn't deserve you, Iris... He's not worth the trouble."

"You're right."

"YEOW!" The cigarette flew from her fingers, landing back on her palm, where it'd burned her tender skin. Tif looked back in surprise as she rubbed the sore spot. "Iris.. I-I didn't knew you were there..."

"I bet you didn't. Otherwise, you wouldn't be smoking, right?" an amused eyebrow rose, "I thought I told you to stop doing that..."

"Meh, I like it. What's with you?"

"You. You're my friend, and that's bad for ya. You know that."

"Ah.. Leave me be, Cathy..."

"Don't call me that."

"Then, don't tell me what to do." Both girls smiled conspiratorially, two small grins only understood by two females who just reached a truce. "You ok?"

"I'll live." Iris shrugged. But the sadness in her eyes was noticed by the other girl already.

"You surely don't seem like it. It's not like you to be this upset over a boy; let alone one that just did what he did."

"Look, I just dunno why he did it. That's the thing. But I don't care anymore, I guess. It's over. No big deal."

Tif sat on the railings, her feet curling over them, keeping her secure. "Don't blame yourself, that's what he wants..." She patted the place beside her, winking, "He doesn't realise what he just lost, huh? Perhaps if you told me some more about him, about your time together, would it make you feel better?"

Her friend sighed heavily, "Fine..."

The rest of the morning and a bit of the afternoon was passed like this, both of them having forgotten all about having lunch.

"...not to mention that he's a great blader. I still don't know why he did this. He never seemed... forced, or unhappy. I think."

"Hey... Don't blame yourself, remember? That's what he wants you to think. Maybe he thinks he's not worthy of you."

A forced laugh escaped the hurting girl, "Kai would never think like that. Ever. His pride wouldn't let him, believe me. Anyways, you're right. It's time to move on." A pair of arms wrapped loosely around her waist and she was startled for a minute, before she recognized who it was, "Don't **do** that, Axel!"

The older boy placed his chin on her shoulder gently, "Is my favourite gal feeling better?"

"I'm not your gal! I'm nobody's gal!" her lips curved into a real smile for the first time since the encounter with the BladeBreakers, "Yeah.. Slightly. Thanks to Tif here. She's being a sweetheart."

The mentioned girl looked shocked, "Sweetheart? Moi? Hey, I resent that!" The three friends laughed wholeheartedly.

"Come, let's go over to the pool. The blue boy may be there. You can show him."

Iris looked at him over her shoulder, an eyebrow rising, "Blue boy? Who the- Oh... Kai.." her hues saddened once more and the other immediately regretted having said that. "Show him what, big fella?"

"That what he did isn't affecting you in the least. Have fun with us, swim, sunbathe, battle, anything to make him believe you're perfectly fine. I'm sure that even Rui won't mind to let you have your way with him."

"Yeah." A mischievous glint in her eyes told them she really wouldn't give a choice to the blond playboy, "I'm sure he will."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

After finally eating and training, the Dominatrix Team made its way towards the pool area. Quite a few teams were there, mostly girls sunbathing. She didn't saw the BladeBreakers, but Iris was determinate in having a good time. _No way I'll mourn even a second over him. As he said, it's over.  
_  
Shauna squealed in delight, "Aww that's why I just love the Atlantic! The air gets warmer as we travel south!" Finding five chairs, she draped her things in one and immediately dived for the sun-warmed water of the pool.

And Tif and Iris, for a change, were discussing.

"No, explicative."

"Nah, restrictive."

"Explicative."

"Restrictive."

"Explicative! Bloody hell girl, the expression has two virgules! It can be removed and still make sense."

"Restrictive! It doesn't, that's just a smudge on the fucking book! It's as old as your house! Besides, it complements the previous sentence!"

"Shut up already! I **don't **wanna hear about the bloody Portuguese test! Man, I got 19." Rui sweatdropped, as he sat on the chair beside Shauna's.

The two remaining girls snickered, "What! You got the lowest note!"

"Yup."

"You're-"

"A handsome, great, drop-dead gorgeous, blond playboy?"

"-An idiot." Iris smacked him upside the head.

"Oh." His grin came back almost instantly, "But you still love me!"

"Bah, you wish!" Iris pulled him to his feet after taking out her shirt, now only on some black shorts and a black bikini top, trying to drag him over to the pool. He seemed aware of it a few moments later, as he started to struggle out of her grasp. She didn't let him though, and soon, they were both trying to trip up one another. Not noticing Shauna, they both splashed onto the pool as she pulled on both their ankles.

"Oww... Man, I fell on my back..." the poor boy hissed as he rubbed his now tender and reddening back with a slight grimace.

"Awww, poor Rui!" the girls wrapped their arms around him, giggling softly, as he held them.

"If I knew this would happen, I'd have hurt myself long ago!" that earned a strong pat on the back from both females, "OUCH!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Kai saw the exchange with resentful eyes, _Damn her..._ He stopped as the rest of his team headed for the pool. He leaned against the wall of the bar. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt the stabbing of jealousy gnawing at his mind.

The slate-haired teen kept telling himself that this was for their own good. If his Grandfather found out, there was no way they would be safe. Not like last time. And she... she didn't need him anymore. Iris had found her friends. _No._

His eyes never left her form through the next two hours, as he sipped some water. As she talked among her friends, laughed, swam, sunbathed... But something on her mesmerizing silver blue hues was amiss. Something he just couldn't figure out from the slight distance between them.

And after those two hours, he finally saw his chance. She finally separated from the group, spoke a bit to Tyson and the others and started to walk towards him. Or better saying, the bar. She passed the wall where he was leaning on. She didn't saw him. A few minutes later, she came back, holding a cup of Negus, sipping it calmly, much to his surprise.

He stretched his hand, taking the drink from her loose grip, startling her momentarily. In the few seconds he took to place the cup on the nearest table, their eyes locked, and those seconds stretched for an eternity. Everyone around them seemed to slip away and all there was left was each other's eyes.

It seemed just like everything had returned to the way it was before their encounter.

And then, the feeling was gone once more as her gaze turned away. "What do you want, Phoenix."

Yes, what **did** he want? He didn't possibly know. He just felt the need to look at her, right in front of him. "Nothing." He replied, quite honestly.

"Then, why did you take my drink? Are you going to start telling me what I should or shouldn't drink too?" her voice was mostly annoyed and angered, but if he wasn't mistaken, slightly hurt too.

"I'm not your babysitter."

"Good. Keep that in mind, Hiwatari." With that, she took a step forwards to grab her drink. His hand shot up but, instead of catching her arm as he initially wanted, it lingered over the soft skin of her neck. Instantly, he felt the muscles there tense up.

"Let me go." her voice had lowered to a whisper, determination and... Fear in it. Slight fear. The only time he heard it directed at him was on the last few days he saw her. After destroying the Abbey. But it wasn't fear for what he could do to her, like now, it had been the fear of almost losing him.

"No." he spoke just as softly, as he leaned in. The girl tried to pull away, but the hand securing her kept her in place almost painfully. A soft whimper escaped her as his lips brushed against hers in a feather-light kiss. He didn't know if the whimper was from the pain in her neck or relief of finally being kissed again. Like him. _Her lips..._

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

_His lips..._

Iris wouldn't call it a kiss, no. She stood as still as a statue, as he satisfied himself with brushing his full soft lips over her cold bow-shaped ones. The hand on her neck was hurting her, but slowly, it eased her pain, opting for caressing the side of her neck and grazing her throat. It was then that she finally gave in.

She felt, rather than saw his surprise as she nipped at his lower lip, drawing blood, licking her lips clean of it. Fisting his top, she crushed her lips to his, closing her eyes at his groan of approval. And suddenly...

««Flashback»»  
"Kai-"

"Don't you dare saying another word, bitch. I told you, we're through. I won't say it again. I don't want you."

And that was it. He said it; the forbidden word.

"The only thing that you definitely **don't **want is to admit your own feelings! And just because you're too fucking stubborn to even realise that-"

The back of a strong hand hit her hard across the cheek, make her stagger momentarily. Kai's.  
««End Flashback»»

As soon as she remembered, her hands pressed onto his chest and pushed him away, breaking the kiss hastily, hurt clear in her now red-rimmed eyes. "Bastard." She hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"It was you who kissed me like a sex-neglected slut, not me."

Again, a biting remark, squeezing her heart, destroying every last bit of respect and affection she ever felt for this boy. And yet, he was quite right. "You didn't had the right."

"To do what? Kiss you? You didn't seem to object much now, did you?"

"Fuck you! You were bloody restraining **and** hurting me!" to emphasis what she meant, she slapped his hand away, which hadn't left her neck yet.

This time, it was those mahogany depths of his which narrowed. Without another word, he turned his back on her, "This is over..." he paused, as he walked away, "For now, at least."

She nodded silently, even if he couldn't see it, "I don't doubt it," as he resumed to walk away.

Through the rest of the day, Fire and Thunder didn't meet again.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The door of one balcony opened as girl of fifteen years old exited the inside of the cruise, letting out a sigh of relief as the fresh, cold air hit her hot face.

Her soft, brown hair had grown extremely long over the year and had been kept in a high ponytail held by a pink scrunch; her violet eyes were still the same as ever. She changed her style from her pink top and black skirt to a black crop top, with a pink top over it and blue jeans, held by a pink belt and trainers.

Tenebrae Rosa placed her hand beside her right eye, stopping some of her strands from covering her face. She walked towards the railings of the cruise's balcony and rested her arms against it, leaning slightly forward. Eyes seemingly tired, she gazed at the reflection of the starry sky.

Her past wasn't perfect, nor was it horrible, just complicated. Her mother died at childbirth, her father soon after, and she was stranded on the cold street of Russia, frozen to death if a purple-haired man hadn't come and took her in. He raised her, and once she was old enough to walk and talk, he trained her to become one of the top blader's.

Soon after, she joined the other beybladers of the Abbey and was trained to be an emotionless and ruthless beyblader, but her sanity kept her from being a puppet.

Working in a group helped her a lot and sometimes it didn't; she got into many fights yet she made some friends. And she missed them all everyday.

There was her black-haired friend, feisty yet friendly; her lilac haired friend, quiet yet helpful; a giant friend who acts like a body-guard, always protective of the brunette; a shrimp, always humorous, never letting her down, always making her laugh when she's upset; and a certain red-haired boy, whom she slowly got a crush with. She still did have it, but as time went by, they were farther apart, and to her, the feeling was just another memory.

A lone tear rolled down her cheek and she made no move to brush it off. She let out another sigh and slowly closed her eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet.

The door opened again and a surprised look fell upon icy blue hues as the boy set his orbs on the back of the girl. His mouth became dry at the sight of her, as he stayed rooted to the spot. _I thought she had died... _Slowly, as if his legs had their own mind, he walked towards the girl, wanting to reach her, to feel her. _Just once. _He saw her shiver, from the cold. Or from feeling; he did not know, and extending his hand, he lightly touched her shoulder.

Ten snapped her eyes open and quickly turned around, surprising the redhead. She gasped inwardly, also surprised. With a lump in her throat, it took a full two minutes before she was able to speak. "Yuriy?"

Said boy slowly nodded, still speechless. He gulped, whispering her name. Silence ensued their words. Ten noticed, as they continued to stare at each other that Tala was wearing jogging bottoms, a red t-shirt and jacket; Tala was also doing the same, taking in every bit of detail of her. He noticed how taller and slimmer she got, and when he took in the detail of her face, he noticed how more beautiful she had become.

Her eyes were brighter than last time he saw; her nose, small as ever and her bow-shaped, red lips... how he wanted to place his own on top of them, how he wanted to taste them, to taste her once again. Without realising, the ice-wolf owner was leaning forward, closer and closer towards the girl.

Ten couldn't do anything except stay rooted to the spot; she wanted to move but she couldn't. Tala's face was just about an inch apart from hers, and his lips were getting closer and closer towards hers. Her breathing became rapid as did the beating of her heart and she slowly closed her eyes, as if she was in a trance, until her mind was pulled to a certain scene, a scene she most wanted to forget.

««Flashback»»  
"No, I would've told you, if you had asked me. But the truth is, I don't like her, Rosemary. I did, once, I won't deny that. But for quite some time, my mind is thinking on somebody else. And that somebody happens to be you." At the sincere tone his words had, she looked at him once more, into those electric blue hues.

Right then, she knew she couldn't say no to him. He couldn't be lying about this, he just couldn't. Or maybe it was just her optimist nature. Whatever it was, it made her eyes soften, as she pressed her lips against his in a small peck, pulling back afterwards, before everyone else noticed.

Except a pair of violet eyes...  
««End Flashback»»

"NO!" Ten whispered, snapping her eyes open. She placed her hands on his chest firmly, pushing him backwards. Tala's eyes also opened immediately, and looked at her quizzically. Ten shook her head at him, tears brimming her eyes.

"Ten?" his voice was questioning.

"No," she repeated over and over again. Then without another word, Ten swiftly walked pass the redhead, running up the steps, opening the door, entering the cruise once again.

She half-jogged, half-ran down a corridor and came face-to-face with a door. Placing a hand on the handle, she opened it, and entered. Blared up music met her ears and continuing pumping inside her head as she made her way through the crowd and up the stage, where the crowd suddenly made a loud cheering. The door to the dinner-and-dance party room opened again and the captain of the Demolition Boys entered, eyes fixed on the brunette on the stage.

_"We used to swim  
The same moonlight waters...  
Oceans away  
From the wakeful day" _

At the sound of her singing voice, Iris looked up from chatting to her team to the stage and smiled softly at the sight of her long-time female friend, safe and sound. She grinned, ignoring the rest of the conversation.

_"_I play Russian roulette with a bullet called life, oh yeah!" Rui suddenly interrupted the calm, sad song, as everyone else sent him questioning looks. "What? Don't like 'Sugar', from 'System of a Down'? It's quite good!"

Tiffany quickly took the rest of his drink, drinking it all in one big gulp herself, "'k, Blondie, no more alcohol for you!"

"Alcohol? But that's just a milkshake with a bit of fruit!"

"Yes, well, alcohol for you is called glucose, normally known as sugar!"

Ignoring the younger one's talk, dark brown eyes widened at the sight of the singer. For once, Axel didn't care about shutting them up.

"_My fall will be for you_  
_My love will be in you_  
_If you be the one to  
Cut me, I'll bleed forever" _

The words of that verse clenched Tala's heart as he listened to the words, listening to the truth between the lines.

"_Scent of the sea before  
The waking of the world  
Brings me to thee  
Into the blue memory _

_My fall will be for you  
My love will be in you  
If you be the one to  
Cut me I'll bleed forever_

_Into the blue memory..."  
_**  
**"Wow!" breathed Rui, looking up at the stage. "Sings pretty good. Wicked! Who's she?"

"That's Tenebrae Rosa. My friend from the Abbey," Iris replied .

"I think I'm in love!" Rui cooed .

His team looked at him as if he had grown another head, especially their captain, yet they had gotten used to his stupidity. Ignoring the blond haired boy, sighing, they turned their attention back to the stage.

"_A siren from the deep  
Came to me  
Sang my name, my longing  
Still I write my songs...  
About that dream of mine...  
Worth everything I may ever be. _

_The child will be born again,  
That siren carried him to me  
First of them, true loves..  
Singing on the shoulders  
Of an angel without care  
For love and loss..."_

Two girls from Ten's team grinned as she sang her part of their song. Forest Romano and Kironi Ngo, along with Tenebrae Rosa made another beyblading team for the Brazilian tournament but they were also a music band in their free time, entertaining fans of the beyblading sport. They have finally managed to make the release of their latest album, with the current song part of it.

Everyone was quiet and stared at the empty stage with one person on filled with many other people; all dancers as they took their positions on the stage and at the top part of the dance floor.

The music was simple and in a sad/quiet mood, letting the dancers get mentally prepared for their part to start. Once the music blared up again, the dancers started the dancing routine they had practiced, courtesy of Ten.

"_Bring me home or leave me be  
My love in the dark  
Heart of the night  
I have lost the path before me  
The one behind will lead me! _

_Bring me home or leave me be  
My love in the dark  
Heart of the night  
I have lost the path before me  
The one behind will lead me!"_

As Ten sang, she looked around the crowd until she locked her eyes onto the eyes she didn't want to see.

"_Take me _  
_Cure me_  
_Kill me_  
_Bring me home_  
_Everyway_  
_Everyday_  
_Just another loop _  
_In the hangman's noose!_

_Take me, cure me,  
Kill me, bring me home  
Everyway, everyday  
I keep on watching us sleep _

_Relieve the old sin  
Of Adam and Eve  
Of you and me  
Forgive the adoring beast"_

The captain of the Demolition Boys gaped at the brunette, mouth slightly parted and slowly made his way to his team who was standing on the dance floor, eyes kept lock with the pair of violet eyes, as she danced with the dancers.

"_Redeem me into childhood,  
Show me myself without the shell.  
Like the advent of May,  
I'll be there  
When you say  
Time to never hold our love" _

As she sang this small part, her team-mates came onto the stage, microphone in hand, and they sang that last part of the song together: the chorus.

"_My fall will be for you  
My love will be in you  
You were the one to cut me  
So I'll bleed forever..." _

Iris frowned slightly at the glimmer in Ten's eyes. _Is she trying to hold back tears?_ Taking a better look, she followed her eyes. _Yuriy... _The happy thought of seeing him was switched to the one that he was behind Ten's sadness. _Hn..._

"Something's wrong, Iris?"

"Ah, no, Tif. I'm fine. I'll be right back." She replied over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Hey! You're gonna meet up with Ten, aren't ya? C'mon, take me with you!" Rui grinned, as Axel and Tif smacked him, while Shauna giggled.

The black haired girl continued on her way, shaking her head, avoiding the Demolition Boys the best as she could. She wanted to talk with Ten first. After singing, she and her team had walked away. _To their dorms, I'm almost sure. _And so, she followed that theory, stopping beside the door which said the brunette's team name, 'Viscera Nigror'. She knocked.

From inside, she could hear Kironi complaining in Russian, "If it's someone asking for an autograph, I'll strangle you for having the idea of singing, Ten! And I'm not joking!" the door opened, the slightly taller girl frowning at the Lusitanian girl, "Yes, what is it?"

"I wanted to talk to Ten, if that's ok with her." Right after her sentence, a chair being knocked to the hard wood of the ship was heard.

Ten pushed Kironi out of her way, standing face to face with Iris. Both girls hugged. "Long time no see, huh?"

Iris slapped her playfully, "You talk like it was nothing! For god's sake, I thought you had died! Do you know for how long I cried and thought of you this past year? Well, a **lot**!"

Violet eyes lit in amusement, "Sorry. We still had to run away and find a place where neither Boris nor Voltaire could find us. Which was hard itself. But the thing is, I'm just fine. Couldn't be better, after that song." Those same eyes saddened after that.

"Don't lie to me, Ten."

"Eh?"

The other girl's expression became serious once more, "What did Tala do to you? What happened?"

Ten frowned, "I don't wanna talk about it. He's just another guy who likes to play with other people's feelings. My feelings..." Stepping back from her friend, she added, "Excuse me, but my team and I have training to do." With that, she started to close the door, but Iris entered the room before that, using her lithe body to her advantage.

"I know how that feels, Ten. Believe me I do." Her eyes fell from Ten's questioning gaze, "They both changed. And not for the best, I see."

"Who do you mean?" Surely she didn't mean...?

"The ones you are thinking at the moment, my friend. Exactly those same ones." Opening the door again, she stepped out of the room, walking away.

Ten looked at her figure, her eyes narrowing, _Something happened with her... and Kai. And I intent on figuring out what... _"Hang on." She stepped forwards, placing a hand on her friend's arm. She had known her for a long time now. She knew Iris needed to talk about it, even if she didn't ask for it, "Come in, please."

The other sighed silently, nodding, "Thank you."

"So, tell me. What the hell did he do?"

The portuguese smiled, "You know me too well, huh? He broke up with me."

"He **what**! Just like that!"

She nodded, "Yeah. I dunno what came over him. He just said we were through and acted as if he had all the reason! I don't understand."

For the first time, Ten noticed the sight colour of her cheek. Her eyes widened, "He didn't...? Did he?"

Lowering her silvery stare, Iris slowly nodded, "Slapped me? Yeah. He did. And he actually called me... **that** word."

"What word? Bit-" Forest quickly placed her hand over Kironi's mouth, before she said too much.

"Yes."

Violet eyes which had been sad just a few minutes before hardened, "Fool..." _Guess I'll have a little talk with Mr. Hiwatari, first thing in the morning..._

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"C'mon, Terry! Hurry up with the drinks!" Christine, one member of one of the many teams that were aboard, called to her team-mate. He had gone for over ten minutes and hadn't come back yet. She entered the room he was supposed to be in.

Where her foot landed, it wasn't on dry floor, as it made a soft splashing sound, _Huh? _Her eyes turned down, only to open wide, _Blood?_ "Terry? You alright? What happened? Are you hurt?"

No answer. But she **could **hear a soft crunching sound.

"'k, if this is some kind of joke, it isn't funny..." the crunching stopped. "Terry?" something moved a bit ahead of her. As she advanced, the door slammed shut suddenly. Looking behind her, she saw no one there, nothing. Not even noticing the lock turn into place.

She resumed walking towards the movement she noticed before. Turning on the lights, her stomach churned at what she saw. _No... Terry..._ He was there alright. Dead. Two small holes on his neck and a large gash on his shin were everything she found for that conclusion. "Oh, Terry..." tears streaked down her face, as she tried to calm down her breathing.

The young girl turned to ran back to her team, but as she swept over the small puddle of blood from before, she tripped. Noticing the blood that was now coating part of her arms, legs and probably face, she tried to wipe it off.

"Christine..." her breath hitched in her throat.

"Wh-Who's there?" No answer. "This is getting way too freaky!" she turned the door knob in front of her, only to find that it was locked. Her eyes widened. "No... NO! Let me out!" her fists banged on the door, but to no avail.

Cold fingers around her neck and an ivory glint was everything she saw before the emotionless blanket of Death surrounded her.

"Poor humans..." Marishka sneered at the two teens, which she had just killed. Her wrist came up to her lips, cleaning them off of any blood, and licking it afterwards, "So defenceless... So naïve... Soon, your race will fall..." Her cold lips curled into a grin, "And ours shall rein in your place."

...TBC...

* * *

**Thanks 2:  
**IcePhoenixLove: **thnx 4 liking it ;) that's y I liked the suddenness of it myself, hehe. & another story like this, u say? Meh, mayb. I'm sure I'm not the only one w/ such ideas, I guess xP**  
**  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **heh, yeah, I guess. But he did have his reasons 2 break up w/ Iris: he wanted 2 protect her & his own ideals. So, he took the easiest way. xD Boys…**

hiwatarisaori: **wow, I really got u mad back there, didn't I? Gomen na.. xP hehe, just wanted 2 start w/ all the drama rite from the beginning, u kno. But I kinda liked how it came out. Though yeah, Kai was a jerk. But he has his reasons, the ideals Voltaire made him adopt, so it's not just his fault!**

**Dark:** **Plz review & let me kno if u have ideas. Ja ne**


	3. Love and Hate

**Dark: 3rd chap. Enjoy **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 3... Love and Hate  
**  
Giggling echoed the walls of the corridor in the cruise as two very close friends met in the early afternoon.

"Man, you should've heard Kironi in bed," giggled Ten. "She snores like a saw!"

Iris laughed lightly at that as she pushed the bar of the exit door towards the pool area. Feeling energetic, Ten placed her hands on the railings and jumped over them, landing at the foot of the pool, while Iris walked calmly down the stairs. Ten breathed in the cool air.

"Yo! Ten!" called Rui, winking at them, "Come over and join us!"

"Coming!" winked Ten. She placed her stuff on one of the seats Forest saved and took off her top and jeans, now in her pink bikini. Axel blushed at her petite frame and looked away as the two females entered the cool water pool.

"Ah, yes. The player who just talked to you is Rui, the hot chick is Shauna and tomboy over there is Tiffany-"

"Call me Tiff, if you'd like." The blond interrupted her best friend quickly, giving a smile at Ten, immediately continuing to hear her newest CD, Anywhere But Home, from Evanescence of course.

"-And our captain is Axel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. The name's Ten, as you should've already guessed." The young Russian smiled at them all, nodding at Axel, who nodded back. Kironi, who was already in the pool, passed her spare black clip to her when Ten asked, and thanking her, she tied her hair up in a messy bun, before letting the water level rise underneath her chin. "That's Kironi, and the other one over there is Forest."

The door to the pool area opened once more and the Demolition Boys entered. They walked down the stairs, passed the Viscera Nigror and the Dominatrix teams, placing themselves at the bar, beside the BladeBreakers.

Ten felt a cold chill ran down her spine and swam to where Axel was, her back towards Tala.

"Everything ok?" he asked her, somehow feeling her discomfort.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." Ten whispered in reply. She didn't need more people to know about what happened the night before. _No need to worry anybody else. And by what Iris told me, Axel already has problems of his own._

««Flashback»»  
"And what about the tall black haired one?"

"Oh, that's Axel. Usually he keeps his feelings and thoughts to himself, and doesn't speak about his past much. He wasn't always like that though." Iris looked at her friend with a thoughtful look.

"Meh, the irony... Makes me remember two boys we know about." The other girl made a face.

"Please, don't remind me." Silver eyes rolled, "Anyway, we only started liking each other right after his mother died. Well, 'like' on friendly terms, of course. He was mostly in a shock. And from then on, his life has been hell almost everyday. His father doesn't really care about him or Tiago, which is his twin, by the way. All he does is giving them money for them to live and simply say 'Well done' for their grades. It's quite sad. Besides, barely three weeks ago, when classes ended, his school had a ball... If I hadn't heard it from his own mouth, I wouldn't have believed it."

Ten frowned lightly at that, "What happened?"

"When he arrived, the ball had already started. He had a girlfriend by then, named Andreia, a very pretty girl. The fact is, when he finally found her, she was all over this guy, kissing him. Who, by the way, is his rival." Iris narrowed her eyes, "I'm almost completely sure that that slut knew about it and she did it to hurt him. He's still sore from that."

"I see. And understand." Violet eyes glazed over as the memories from a few hours before invaded her mind, "I know how he's feeling right now, I'm sure."  
««End Flashback»»

She frowned lightly, trying to ignore the feeling of Tala glaring down at her. Intuition, sixth sense, whatever, she just knew it was him. She did try, but it was getting to her. She got out of the pool, heading towards her seat. She dried herself and put her jeans on.

Tala took that chance and walked up to her, still glaring. Feeling the chill again, Ten straightened up, turning to look at him.

"What's your problem?" she heard him snarl. _As if he has any reason at all..._

"What? You don't know?" Ten hissed back, not turning away from his glare. She wouldn't give him the pleasure.

Tala narrowed his icy blue orbs. "Why did you push me away?"

"I thought it was obvious."

"Care to enlighten me?" he said coolly, arms crossing over his chest.

"You! Rosemary! Want me to spell it out for you?!" And then, there was that forbidden sound as everyone held their breath and gaped at the duo. Axel got out of the pool, murder in his normally calm eyes, but Tiff stepped in his way.

"This is between them." Blue hues held determination and repressed anger, "Even if all I wish to do is to bloody wring his neck."

"Not as much as I do, I'm sure." The older boy growled low in his throat, willing himself to calm down and watch.

Ten clutched her offensive cheek, glaring at the redhead and without warning; she slapped him back, loving every single bit of the stinging sensation on her knuckles. "Don't you EVER FUCKING DARE to touch me again," and with that, she put on her trainers and grabbing her bag, she left the pool area.

Iris was about to go after her when a hand grabbed her wrist. Silver blue orbs turned and locked with green ones.

"Let her be, Iris," Forest said quietly. "Giver her time to cool off."

Kironi nodded in agreement, "She's probably in her room crying or writing down another song. She does that."

"Writing another song?" Rui repeated.

"Most of our songs are reflected on her emotions," shrugged Forest.

Tala hid a smirk of satisfaction as he returned to his team but his conscious and his faithful bit beast said otherwise. Instead, he felt a pang of guilt.

"That was completely and utterly unnecessary. Not only the speech, but especially, the treatment." Bryan muttered, glaring sideways at his captain.

"She didn't need a blow like that, and you knew it. You still do." Ian's sentence did nothing to relieve him.

"Nothing else to say unless you were a bloody bastard." Spencer completed.

With a growl of frustration, Tala got up as soon as he had sat down. Running a hand through his hair, he left, careful to follow a different exit than Ten's. He needed time to clear his mind. Much, much time.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Bright violet eyes scanned the deck, moonlight bathing her pale skin. Finally spotting the slate haired boy she needed to talk to, she walked up to him. This morning, she hadn't been able to find him, but not because she didn't try though.

Said teen was gazing into the star-kissed sky, the moon shine making him seem cold and unreachable. _Not that he isn't right now..._

A silent sigh escaped his slightly parted lips as those mahogany orbs of his closed, dark eyelashes brushing over his cheeks. He seemed to feel her presence, or maybe she just made a sound; it was impossible to know. The truth is, he turned around, glancing over at her. The slight annoyed look definitely said he didn't appreciate her company all that much at the moment.

But then again, she didn't look for him everywhere for nothing, did she? _Well, he may not like my company right now, but I didn't like his stupid attitude towards Iris either, so I guess we're even. _"Good evening."

"I thought you had died." He turned to look at the sky again.

"It takes more than a few guards and rocks to kill me. You should know that." Taking the chance that he didn't told her to go away, she stepped closer to him.

"Hn. If you say so."

"Why?" Ten decided to just go straight to business. _What good will do if we keep chatting and discussing about the weather or so? I've got more important things to do. _

"Why what?" at that time, his voice sounded tired. Even mournful, perhaps?

_Yeah, right..._ _Fat chance, Hiwatari. You better start talking. _"Stop acting stupid. That morning. You. Iris. Want me to draw it out for you to understand?"

The annoyed look swiftly changed to a hostile one, "You have nothing, but **nothing** to do with that."

"Well, let's see, I know both of you for quite some time, she's my friend, you're my friend,-" _Or used to be, anyway… _"-besides, you've got no reason to break up with her. And certainly no reason to hurt her the way you did. You slapped and insulted her. You're not going to tell me that she deserved it, for I know she did not, even if I didn't see it."

He advanced menacingly towards her, but she didn't even blink. It took much, much more than that to intimidate her. "Stop interfering. My reasons are none of your business. I could care less if you're concerned about the kid's well being. I. Am. Not."

"The kid? Right, as if you were much older than her. She has feelings. You hurt them. She passed through a lot. You ignored that." From the second the next few words left her lips, she wanted to kill herself for having said that, but he needed to hear them, "You said you'd never be like your grandfather. Guess what, you're acting just like him."

Yes, indeed, the short sentences had the desired effect. Deep maroon eyes widened as he took a step back. His head lowered, "You don't know just how much my grandfather had to do with my decision."

A light brown eyebrow rose, "Oh really?"

"I don't want her hurt. I don't want her caught. If Voltaire knew just how much she is attached to me, he'd use me to get to her."

"But wasn't he-?"

"Dead?" a forced laugh escaped him, "I wish.. No, he's still out there, I can feel it. Which is why I'm afraid. I don't know **where** exactly, so if he caught us, it would be the end. That's the last thing I want. Even losing her is better than to have him find her with me."

"But you could tell her that. I'm sure she would understand. You two could be more careful. Then-"

"No. She'll be better off without me. She's happy the way she is. Iris Catherine Blanchett is out of my life permanently and she doesn't seem to mind that."

"That's where you're wrong! You guys didn't simply have an affair, you love her and she loves you!" she sighed softly, for the first time sounding weary, "You can see that in her eyes and in your own… You belong with each other. Just because you're afraid you'd lose her doesn't mean you'd hurt her so deeply. She may not seem so hurt on the outside, but you literally killed her on the inside. Please, do yourself a favour and think about what I've said."

"Whatever." He turned his back to her. "She was my only weakness, and I was hers. She is a great blader, I won't deny that. But we'd be better off without one another. It's only for the best."

Shaking her head sadly at him, she turned around, "As you wish." And stepping away from him, she went back to the inside of ship. "I hope Dranzer is able to change your mind though..."

For long minutes, Kai stayed on the same spot. He sighed, as he walked back to his room, "I'll have to talk to her in the morning... I just have to."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"You brought a dog with you?"

"It's not a dog, Axel, it's a wolf and its name is Nevola." Shauna picked up the small furry animal, cradling it away from the spluttering older boy.

"Alright, so you brought a **wolf** which is a few weeks old with you to a bloody **ship**?!?!" Axel waved his arms, looking from her eyes to the wolf's, who yawned in reply to all the commotion.

She looked at him expectantly, "Yeah. Can I keep it with me?"

"Well, captain, it isn't as if you can take little Nevola away from her and throw it into the Atlantic, for I know you're not capable of doing such a thing." Rui walked up to the girl, petting Nevola, "Besides, he's cute."

Iris and Tiffany were trying not to laugh at the scene. They were all at the balcony. This morning, they woke up after hearing glass breaking. Much to their surprise, the responsible was a little white huski dog, looking up at them with its tail wagging. Which, according to Shauna, was a baby wolf. Axel was quiet till a moment ago, till he simply spoke the obvious. And now, here they were.

"Cute? Cute?! Come **on**, we can't keep it, you know that! It's a wild animal, and needs space!"

"Axel, I don't intend on **keeping **him forever, just till we find a place for him. I found the poor thing a few days before we left Portugal, on those woods just beside our school."

"You went into those woods?!"

"Please, Rui, I'm **not** a baby! Nevola is."

There was a knock at the door right then, stopping the discussion of the issue. Tiff quickly made her way to the door, opening it. They weren't expecting anyone, but the boy outside was the one they least expected.

"Where is she?"

The blond girl couldn't help but let out a mirthless laugh, "You can't be serious... After what you did, you wanna talk to her? Do you think I'm stupid? Didn't you hurt her enough already?!" gripping the side of the door, she pushed with all her strength, intending to slam it shut.

Although, Kai was already counting on that. Being stronger, he stopped the door from closing almost effortlessly, entering afterwards.

As soon as he did, Iris's amused expression quickly changed to one of half surprise, half panic. _No..._ No, no, no, she wasn't ready to face him yet! Not after the break up, not after that forced kiss. What if this time he tried to ra- _No!!!_

The other two males in the room got up swiftly, stepping in front of the black haired girl. Rui was quite annoyed, but Axel was the one who seemed ready to tackle the young slate haired teen into combat. Shauna stood close to Iris, an arm over her shoulders. Even the little wolf on her arms was aware that something was not right, as it began to growl and snarl at Kai.

Before he knew it, the wrong words escaped the new-comer, "You can cut the body-guard crap; I'm not here to rape her..."

As the last verb passed through his lips, Iris pulled away from the wall as if burned, making her way up to him, "You are not welcome here anymore. Get lost."

"I could care less. We need to talk."

"You'll only talk to her when she's ready. You heard the lady." Axel pointed to the door, eyes narrowed, "The exit's that way."

"I'm sure it is. But this **is** important." The tension and rivalry between both captains was visibly noticeable, "And is between the two of us. Only."

Iris finally stopped when they were just mere inches apart. She barely reached his chin, but being short had never been a disadvantage for her, "Remember, you asked for it." In normal circumstances, she would've refrained her anger, but she was too hurt, too furious, too blind, to even notice.

Locking silvery hues with deep mahogany ones, she let her powers free, taking advantage of them for the first time. The young Hiwatari realized that a bit too late. When he closed his eyes, there was nothing he could do any more. His hand reached up to his forehead, as the pain in his mind increased horribly. "What did you... do?! Ah, knock it off!!"

"My powers allow me to be connected to all bit beasts. Which means, your precious Dranzer. Since he's also connected to you, I used your bond to reach your mind. Simple, but effective, as you can see. Or better saying, feel." An uncharacteristic grin crossed her features, a cold one. But her satisfied expression was soon substituted by one of surprise, "What are-? Uhh.." her eyes rolled to the back of her head, as she fainted.

The immense pain stopped suddenly, as he opened his orbs gingerly, looking at his feet where she had fallen unconscious.

:: Are you alright, Master Kai::

_I think so. What the hell happened?_ He knelt down beside the fallen girl, ignoring the others completely, pushing a few strands of hair aside and turning her onto her back gently.

:: I managed to find a way to make part of the pain backfire on her. I guess she wasn't expecting it and her powers just stopped subconsciously. The Praeceptrix couldn't resist it and was knocked out. But I must apologise, since it was my fault. ::

_It was no one's fault. You couldn't know. It's alright._ Checking her breathing and heart beat, Kai soon spoke quietly, now supporting a head-ache, "She's going to be just fine. Only needs rest. No need to worry." He made a move to pick her up, put a white and silver beyblade quickly made him pull away. Glancing up, he looked into a pair of eyes, darker than his own, almost ebony black. Axel knelt, picking her up instead.

"Leave. You already did enough damage as it is."

He frowned, but said nothing in reply. The teen quickly exited the room, not looking back once.

"You know this was her fault, not his, Axel." Tiffany looked down at her captain, now sitting on the bed, stroking Iris's hair once in a while. He said nothing.

And nothing was said for a long moment after that.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

As the BladeBreakers entered the canteen in the morning, fourth day of voyage, they obviously had lost something important.

"Uhh, why's everyone dressed in blue and white?" Tyson scratched the back of his head.

"Why Tyson, don't tell me you don't know? FC Porto wan, my friend. One of the best football teams of Portugal, if you're curious. And here we are, celebrating!" Iris passed by them, a big large flag wrapping about her shoulders in blue and white tinges, a menacing looking dragon on its middle. While heading for their normal table and placing down a small back pack, silver and maroon hues locked briefly, before breaking the contact just as quickly as she continued on her way. Tiffany soon followed, a shirt a few sizes bigger than herself over her white short top.

"Umm, where's the rest of your team?"

"Meh, Rui's probably still snoring away. The game ended around eleven, but he wanted to hear the declarations of the players, so he stayed awake till two in the morning... Typical Rui."

"And I'm here." Shauna kissed Tyson's cheek in greeting as she arrived, making the younger boy blush, "Just got a bit late, that's all. My hair takes a lot of my time." chuckling, she followed her friends, as they rolled their eyes at that. "I dunno where Axel is, though. Didn't see him yet."

"Yeah, me neither. Iris?"

"Nope. He got up even earlier than I did."

"That's odd." A new voice entered the portuguese conversation, the strange accent on the male voice making clear that the speaker knew very little of the language. Turning around, the black haired girl felt herself grin widely, changing her language to English once more.

"Spencer! Ian, Bryan... How are you?" suddenly she quirked an eyebrow, "And where's Yuriy?"

"That's why I said it was odd. We don't know; two days ago, after the incident between him and Ten, we haven't seen him again."

"Uh oh..." Iris and Tiff looked at each other, not liking the sound of these last events.

"This can't be good..."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Another small bottle of wine joined the other one on the floor. No one knew he had a liking to drinking. Not that he did usually, only when he felt frustrated.

_Like now..._

Dark eyes scanned the dark room he was in at the moment. The sun was up a few minutes ago, but he always preferred the semi-dark environments instead. Too bright or too dark usually got tiring and annoying; the middle was the ideal thing.

Axel Roth, son of the practically multimillionaire Marco Roth, a worldwide known economist, sat back against the windowsill, closing tired eyes. He barely slept through these past two nights. Remembering Ten being slapped really wasn't doing him any good.

He couldn't help it though; it was silly, a meaningless crush, but yet he had it. He growled at the back of his throat, _This has to stop. Today, our training will start for real. And Rui can cut the crap of still being hurt, after his last football match, or whatever his last excuse said... _As he was getting up, placing the two empty bottles on the trash, he heard a squeaking sound. _Someone's opening the door._ Turning to sad door, he saw a flash of blood red hair. That made him stop in his tracks and step back into the shadows. If the Russian boy hadn't seen him yet, he wouldn't, as long as the dark eyed boy was in that spot.

Tala made his way to one of the few boxes spread through the hold of the ship. Choosing it for being against the wall, he sat on it, leaning his head back. The last he needed was to face his teammates right now, before he apologised. He didn't want to be feeling guilty, for he knew she deserved that. _But still, something keeps annoying me that I should... Why?_ Not knowing the answer, but not in the mood to think about it, he just sighed.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Turquoise eyes snapped open at that, searching the room till they rested on the figure of an older well built boy. Brown hues locked with his. "What do you want?"

Calmly. Axel stepped forwards, half of him still in the shadows, his arms crossing over his chest loosely, "Now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind a beybattle with you."

"Oh really?" a red eyebrow rose smoothly, "And why's that? Just for the fun of it, or do you have a motive?"

"Don't worry; I do have a motive to kick your ass..." taking out his white and silver launcher and beyblade, he readied Dromme, the small bit chip letting out a silver glow.

A smirk graced fine pale lips, as Tala pulled away from his position, swiftly getting up. Axel was indeed taller, as he suspected. Taking out Wolborg, he quickly went into position, "We'll see about that. 3... 2... 1.."

"Let it rip!" Axel released his blade. Dromme increased his speed, making a circle on the ground, "That'll be our stadium."

Wolborg soon followed the lighter beyblade, "Fine by me."

The blades circled each other, as if judging and measuring the other's power. Tired of the chasing, Axel gritted his teeth in agitation, making Dromme immediately speed up and deliver a strong clash to Wolborg's side.

Tala didn't even blink. _He's angry. Something's bothering him. That's giving him an extra boost of energy; but is not helping him defeat me. _"If I were you, I'd calm myself down right now. It's not really helping."

_What would calm me down for sure would be seeing you as hurt as you made Ten feel..._ "Whatever. Dromme!" the blows to the other beyblade were now more harsh and powerful.

_Alright, so it might be helping him a bit..._ Narrowing his eyes slightly, he decided to change tactics, "Wolborg." The grey beyblade dodged the other one, turning to one side and grinding the attack rings together, sparks flying everywhere.

But much to his surprise, Dromme barely noticed it. Instead, it kept pushing Wolborg to the edge of their improvised dish and before he knew it, his beyblade was outside the line. Soon after, Dromme dropped to the side, slowly slowing down, and finally stopping. Frowning, he looked up at his opponent, as he picked up his blade, "Good enough, for an amateur." He turned around.

:: There is no need to tell him he defeated you, Master Yuriy. You know your mind wasn't in the battle. You did not want to win. Or to battle him. ::

"Why did you let me win like that? I know you're stronger than that."

:: And it seems he also noticed that. ::

_Shut it, Wolborg... I'm **not** in the mood... _"I didn't want to destroy your precious 'Dromme'." The sound of hurried steps was his only warning. Quickly turning around, one of his hands caught the fist that was aimed for his cheek. "Something tells me you seriously have something against me."

Axel pulled back his arm, barely restraining his anger. "Yes, I wonder what..."

"Indeed."

"Ten." He replied between clenched teeth. How much he wanted to hurt him...

Immediately, the blue eyes, so alive just a moment ago went cold, "If it's something that concerns her, then it doesn't concern me." And, like his emotions, his interest on continuing the talk also disappeared, "Now I do regret not having destroyed your beyblade. See you in the finals, if you can reach them." He left, leaving behind a furious looking Axel.

A quiet growl escaped him, "This is not over, Ivanov... Far from it, in fact."

But even as observant as he was once he scanned the room to hide any proof of what had happened, he failed to notice wide violet eyes looking at everything from one of the small round windows of the ship.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Man, didn't I sleep in, or what?" Rui stretched his arms above his head, yawning softly. Since it was half way through the morning and Axel would soon kill him for losing so much time, he only had a small apple as breakfast.

While passing through an open door, he stopped. Tilting his head to the side, he took a few steps towards it. He poked his head in, "Hello? Someone's there?" hearing a very, very quiet giggle, he narrowed his eyes, "Some**thing**'s here?"

He entered. Looking around, he found the light switch. He quickly turned it on. Taking a step forwards, he didn't land on dry ground. Looking down, he saw water. Water everywhere, in fact.

A hiss at his ear made him turn around immediately. But he saw nothing but air. Seeing another door, his hand closed around the handle, slowly turning it, and opening it. And jumping as the door slammed against the wall. "Come out, come out wherever you are..."

Nothing, only water on the ground too. Another hiss at his other ear, and two feet landing.

**SLAM **

And the other door slamming close.

"Come out, come out, whatever the hell you are..."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Iris?"

Silver eyes looked up to lock with forest green ones, "Yes, Forest?"

"Have you seen Ten? We didn't, ever since this morning."

"Yup. And we can't find her." Kironi joined her team-mate. "We're getting worried here."

"No, I didn't saw her yet." Iris slowly got up, frowning lightly, "You think something's wrong?"

"We dunno. It might, it might not."

"The thing is, Axel and Tala are also missing."

The two older girls changed looks, turning back to Iris afterwards, "Think they might be together?"

"Who knows?"

At that same moment, a certain redhead entered the canteen.

"Well, that makes it clear that **he**'s not with her. Which is a good thing." Kironi smirked, "He does seem annoyed about something, doesn't he?"

"Oh, poor him..." Forest said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "I couldn't care less, after what he did to her."

"Ditto." Three female voices responded her.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Alright, whatever you are! This is getting stupid, and I'm tired of hide and seek! Meh, I'm leaving!!" taking out Zephyrus, Rui pulled the rip cord swiftly.

The sharp edges of his attack ring made short work of the door handle, promptly breaking it. It soon opened, squeaking a bit while the blond smiled at his handiwork. "See, you little... uhh, whatever you are... **anyway**, I'm smarter than you think!" nothing sounded, no response. "Aww, did I hurt your feelings?" he grinned, "Truth hurts, doesn't it? Hehe..." He stepped into the other room.

The door behind him slammed shut again, making him immediately spin around to face it. His eyes widened slightly, "That this may be a warning for you and yours?" that was the sentence carved into the back of it, "What warn-" a hiss interrupted him, a hiss of his own, as a sudden sting at his cheek appeared. Some kind of metallic smell reached his nostrils. Oddly familiar.

One hand went up to inspect the damage, while wide clear eyes searched the source of the injury. He flinched slightly, pulling back his hand, now coated with blood. _Great... Whatever that was, it sure left a big gash on my cheek..._ "Zephyrus." The white and blue top landed on his open palm a few seconds later. Releasing it again, it did the same to the other door.

As soon as it opened, he got out. Glancing around and finding one window, he made a face. The cut went from near his temple, till almost his jaw. As if a giant cat had reached there and scratched him. The wound wasn't deep, but was slightly bleeding. Absently, he looked at his watch. And for the third time that morning, his eyes widened, "Oh man, Axel's gonna murder me..."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Four girls glanced at the door of the dorm as it opened, revealing two boys, one looking pissed off, the other frustrated.

"Rui, Axel. About time you showed up." Tiff commented, not looking up from cleaning Ignisithar. Their training was supposed to start today, but a certain playboy slept in.

"I had a meeting with the responsible of the tournament, that's why I wasn't here before. While I was heading back, I found **him** walking around. And he even injures himself too!"

"I didn't! I already told you what- Why, hello, Kironi. Didn't see you there. Where's the rest of your team?" the blond sat in front of the brown eyed Korean, completely ignoring Axel glaring at him.

Said girl blinked, but didn't mind the attention all that much, "Forest is around, trying to find Ten. We don't know where she is."

Axel coughed while drinking a bit of water, "What?!"

"She. Is. Gone. Since this morning. I'm here in case she comes back. But you said something about the tournament?"

"Yes, I already know how it will be." Taking out a small pamphlet, he passed it to her, translating it easily for her. "Our staying won't be in a hotel as usual, we'll be camping. The tournament itself will be a series of challenges and battles, and the teams with most points, pass to the semi-finals. From then on, we'll have two days to prepare ourselves and combat the other teams as we normally do."

At that time, the door opened again, and the two remaining members of the Viscera Nigror team entered.

"Glad you found her, Forest. So, Death..." Kironi's happy expression changed to one of scolding, "What the hell were you thinking?!"

Violet eyes travelled to the oldest teen in the room for brief moments, "I just needed to clear my mind. Just that. Didn't mean to worry you guys."

"Well, next time leave a note or something! What if it was something serious?" Iris joined the conversation.

"Alright, already, I got the picture!" Ten sat down in one of the few chairs, sideways, "I won't do it again, I promise. No need to scold me like a five year old.." the hand that was off the chair was quickly pulled up as something furry touched her. "What the- Is that a dog?" As the bearer of Deathscythe looked down, she saw Nevola sitting there, looking up at her. Sudden memories of another wolf appeared in her mind, as did those of its holder. She ignored them as soon as they came, focusing on the small animal and picking it up gently. "What's his name?" Almost immediately, the baby wolf lied on top of her stomach, using her arm as a pillow.

Shauna quickly grinned at that, "Nevola. And it's not a dog. It's a wolf."

"Really?" Ten let her hand travel along its small jaw. Feeling the surely sharp canines, no doubt it was a wolf, "Poor him... Where did you find him?"

"Near my school, when I was heading back home."

"If you guys are quite finished, I'd like to continue knowing how the tournament will be. Since I can't read these... Hieroglyphs, or whatever this is." Kironi made a face at looking at the piece of paper in her hands.

"It's called Portuguese, hun, and don't worry; I don't understand much of it either, and it's my native tongue." The blond tomboy chuckled to herself, "However, I dunno how you managed to read that part of Venus' help in that big tempest without stopping and reading correctly, Iris. No one did that, except the teacher herself."

"Ah yes, she said I read with a lot of emotion!" the black haired girl snickered at Tiff, "And you cracked up laughing while you were reading."

"What! **You** were the one laughing, and since you're beside me, I couldn't help, but laugh myself too!!"

"**IF** you don't mind!" the Korean yet again interrupted rudely, glancing up at Axel, "You can continue."

"The tournament will start with all the teams leaving from the same place. We'll have a map and everything will happen in the Amazon forest."

"What!" seven pairs of eyes looked at him, not really believing what he had said. At the sudden sound, Nevola perked up.

"I know, weird, but it's true. Besides, we won't have a problem, cameras will be set in specific places and the wild animals in the zone are being moved as we speak. The proofs will be both battling and physical activities-"

"Whoa, hold it there. I wasn't aware of that last part." The silver eyed beauty looked over Kironi's shoulder, reading the pamphlet herself, "Wha.. Running? Obstacle races?! What the hell were they thinking?!?!"

"I asked myself the same thing. And those are just a few examples."

Shauna looked ready to faint, "Great... Not only we'll be away from civilization and shopping centres and comfy beds, but we'll also have to attend to stupid activities that will make our PE lessons look the best thing in the world! Damn! It doesn't include football, does it?"

After passing over the small shock that the blond princess of their team had cussed over a fact so mundane, the brown eyed male finally replied, "I'm not sure, but I doubt it. At the end of each battle or activity, there will also be some kind of riddle to solve. It won't be crucial for either of the teams, but it might help you out. Traps and obstacles are all around the way to the middle of the forest. That's our goal."

"I see." Ten glanced up at Axel for the first time that day, one hand scratching the literally purring wolf, "Shouldn't we warn the other teams?"

Something flashed across her eyes made him suddenly uncomfortable, "They will do that themselves in a few days. There will be some kind of party and at the end of the trip, they'll explain in every language you want them to. No problems there."

"Ok."

"I'M BORED!!!" Everyone jumped at the sudden interruption from Tiffany's part.

"So what? We all are. Besides, you **don't** need to scream..." Kironi rubbed her temples, glaring at the blond, "We're not deaf, ya know..." Tiff just glared back, annoyed.

"Kironi." Both her team mates gave her a look. After shrugging, she looked away.

"Anyway, Tiff **is** right... You guys wanna do anything?"

"Speaking of that, we do need to train." The violet eyed girl got up, being careful with the puppy blissfully asleep in her arms. She gave it to Shauna, who laid back to let him sleep on top of her. "Come on girls. We got work to do." The other two nodded, getting up.

"Bye, see you around."

"Bye, Ten!" the door closed gently. With that, Rui's hand travelled up to his cheek again.

"Man, doesn't this hurt..."

"What did you do anyway?"

"**I **didn't do **anything**! For all I know, it was just air! This door said 'That this may be a warning to you and yours' and all I felt after was a slight sting and this was here!"

Iris quirked an eyebrow, "Hu huh... That's odd."

"I know. But I'm **not** lying."

"Indeed, you are not..." the shadow looming over them on the balcony was mysteriously unseen by everyone, "Phase one completed..."

...TBC...

* * *

**Thanks 2:  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **nani? In the profile, it says short haired… unless it's somewhere else I didn't notice. & yes, "lithe" does exist xD if u have the time 2 notice, I rarely use "little", if not 4 dialogue. Isn't an adjective I enjoy using much; I think it sounds 2 childish. As 4 "lithe", I like the sound of it, instead of writing "agile" or "flexible". & I doubt it's the only time that word appeared on my works…**

IcePhoenixLove:** ne, that's gonna take a few chaps still ;) ;) but they will get back together:P & u say u have an idea? Plz tell me, then xP & I hope this time, ur brain isn't dead, eh? xD xD **

hiwatarisaori:** hehe ;) glad I cleared that up :P dun worry, everything will turn out fine xD here's the next piece, hope u like it**

**Dark:** **Talking about sine, cosine, tangent, functions, intervals, is never gud 4 ur mental stability. I'm proof of that. Anyways, plz review while I'll try 2 ignore my increasing headache 4 the reminder of the utterly wasted weekend**


	4. Stoned Kiss?

**Dark: Hope u like this piece. I did xD **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 4... Stoned Kiss? **

««Dream»»  
His lifeless body fell to its feet, no more sound, no more pain, no more hiding.

Somehow she wished she was in his place.

But that wasn't possible.

The creature walked up to her. At least, that was what she thought it did. Its feet were now right in front of her, covered by a thick, large cloak all around the strong looking figure, its features hided by the wide hood. **  
**  
Its hand (or claw, or talons... or whatever it was...) picked her up effortlessly. Iris had the feeling it was smirking.

"Ego incurrere-te." The normally unfamiliar language of Latin greeted her. But somehow, she knew it meant "I found you".

"Qui esse tu?" the words to ask who it was in the same language it used passed through her lips as if she used them everyday.

"Integer interrogatio essere ut te velle ego, non reperires?" 'The correct question would be for what I want you, don't you think?' That too, yes.

"Ita."

It leaned in, whispering into her ear, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Silver eyes widened, _It knows English? Then...?_  
««End Dream»»

Iris sat up straight on her bed, the darkness of the room obscuring most of the fear in her wide eyes, What was that all about... The cold sweat upon her skin made her shiver.

She searched the dorm, not moving from her bed.

Axel was sleeping quietly, as was Shauna. Rui was lightly snoring, muttering a few things here and there which she didn't have the patience to listen. Tiff was sleeping with Ignisithar on her palm, copying her own anti-stealing system. And leaning against her, little Nevola seemed to find her quite comfy to sleep against.

A quiet sigh escaped her. _Everything's alright... It was just a dream. Just that._ Patting the wolf's head and sweeping her eyes over the room one last time, she closed her eyes again.

The clock only read 2.06 in the morning. After all, she was only a human; she needed to sleep.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The long voyage passed on without much trouble. Except the news of a team quitting. The part of the quitting was alright, sure, but the fact that they were crying like no tomorrow was what was worrying the others.

But no one knew why exactly.

They now had three days till they reached Fortaleza.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Again."

The beige and pink beyblade was released yet again by its tired looking beyblader.

"I want your launching harsh and strong, Shauna. It's sufficiently fast, but that fact isn't good enough without a good amount of strength. If you happen to battle Ray, he's equally fast, if not faster, and will defeat you easily." Her captain looked at her calmly, Dromme spinning strongly in front of him.

"I know, I know... Give me some time."

"We've been practising for almost two weeks, and you need even more time? C'mon hun, hurry up! Time's running up."

"No need to annoy her, Tiffany, she knows that." Rui commented, while battling said girl.

Tiff smirked, "Aww, are you supporting your beloved one?"

"Don't say nonsense, Boisvert!" both of them snapped at her. But her opponent's cheeks **did** blush, much to her amusement.

Iris, on the other side, was on the gym of the ship, working out calmly. She had already trained, since she woke up earlier. After that dream, she didn't sleep much. And to help her annoyance, Kai decided that some exercise would do some good to his team too, since he entered right after when she was doing some stretching.

_Great..._ Effortlessly, she did the splits as if it was nothing, _Just what I needed... I just hope Tyson doesn't see me, that way, he'll keep his loud mouth shut and I won't have to-  
_  
"Hey Iris!!"

_-murder him..._ "Morning, Tyson." She graciously got up, cracking her knuckles, then stretching her arms above her head.

"Didn't know you were able to do **that**..." the slight awe in the tone of his voice made her smirk lightly.

"That, and much, much more." She didn't mean it that way, but it just came out. Silver eyes locked with reddish brown ones for mere seconds.

Kai quirked an eyebrow at her in question, _She's not referring to... is she?_ Shrugging mentally, he turned on his heels. He had more things to do than to try to figure out what she meant. After their last encounter, his decision to talk to her had changed immediately. _If she doesn't want me around, that's just fine by me. I don't need to worry anymore. Not that I did ever since we separated._

Watching him walk away from her like that made a pang of guilt be felt in her chest. She sighed inaudibly. Deep inside, she did know she didn't have any right to do what she did. _He has suffered in his childhood too..._ It was low and most of all was wrong to use her powers like that, _He just came over to talk and all I did was push him away and hurt him. _And now it was she who had to do something about it, _Bloody hell, what I just can't understand is why do **I** feel guilty when I just made him feel a small fragment of what I'm feeling right now!_ She quickly blinked away the tears that threatened to fall, _Not like this... Not with everyone watching...  
_  
Tyson shook her out of her thoughts as he waved his hand in front of her face, "Iris? You alright?"

"You should go, Kai's waiting." With a last strange look, they all left. Even she admitted her voice had a slight note of bitterness to it. _This is getting annoying..._

"Talked to him yet?" her head snapped to the side, looking into the expectant face of Ten.

"Wha... who?" wasn't she getting a bit **too** lost in her thoughts? Since when people sneak up on her?!

The other chuckled softly, "Kai. Now you know his true reasons?"

"What re-" silver eyes narrowed, slowly growing colder, "How? What did he tell you?" _And why did he tell you and not me?_ Her mind added involuntarily.

:: You did not let him explain his actions, Mistress. ::

_I **don't** care! None of it would have happened if he had simply said it all in the first place.  
_  
:: If I do recall correctly, Praeceptrix, you did not seem in the mood to listen. Instead, you opted to hurt him. Quite badly, too. :: Dranzer's sudden interruption and just as quick withdrawal made her dizzy, but she ignored it. She was still looking at Ten, waiting.

The violet eyed girl wasn't feeling all that comfortable. She really thought he had spoken to her, "I.. I'm not the one who should tell you that, Iris..."

"I, more than anyone else, have a right to know!"

"I'm not saying you don't. But I assure you, he has a good reason." _Even if it's not enough to do what he did.  
_  
"A reason good enough to go ahead and slap me, you mean? To call me what I unwillingly was?" normally silver light eyes were now a dull grey tone, the effort of hiding her emotions and not wanting to shed her tears now evident.

_Ok, so she learned how to read minds..._ Ten took a step back, "No.. No reason is good enough for that."

"Glad someone notices that..." Iris hugged her tightly, sighing, "Yuriy didn't do anything else, did he?"

She shook her head, a bit tensely, "No. I've seen him around, but he barely even notices me now. Not that I want him too..."

"Meh... Boys. Who needs them..."

"You can say that again."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

_Please, please forgive me,_  
_But I won't be home again._  
_Maybe someday you'll woke up,_  
_And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one_  
_Isn't something missing?_

Later that day, Iris made her way through the ship, wandering almost aimlessly, not really knowing where to look for him, _Am I not lucky? Man, when I **do** want to find him, I don't fucking know where the hell he is!  
_  
"Looking for someone?"

_You won't cry for my absence, I know..._  
_You forgot me long ago._  
_Am I that unimportant?_  
_Am I so insignificant?_  
_Isn't something missing?_  
_Isn't someone missing me?_

She came to a stop, muttering under her breath, "I'm starting to lose my touch on spying..." slowly, she faced him.

"That, or you're too lost in you. You do seem lost in yourself these last few days. Not what I'd expected from you." He stepped to the side, passing by her, not even stopping or slowing down. Not even sparing her a glance.

_Even though I'd be sacrificed,_  
_You won't try for me, not now._  
_Though I'd die to know you love me,_  
_I'm all alone._  
_Isn't someone missing me?_

She resisted the urge to kick his shin to make him give her a bit of attention. _Is it asking too much? _"Kai.. We need to talk."

"Last time, **you** didn't want to." For the first time, anger seeped into his eyes, all directed to her and her alone.

_Please, please forgive me,_  
_But I won't be home again._  
_I know what you do to yourself,_  
_I breathe deep and cry out:_  
_Isn't something missing?_  
_Isn't someone missing me?_

If she hadn't willed herself not to react, she would've quickly put more distance between them. She nodded, now unable to meet those eyes, the ones she once loved. _I still do, no matter what I say to myself..._ "I'm sorry." It was barely a whisper, but she had said it.

His eyes softened; just a fraction, but they did. Not that she knew, since she was looking to the ground. He said nothing in return.

_Even though I'd be sacrificed,_  
_You won't try for me, not now._  
_Though I'd die to know you love me,_  
_I'm all alone._  
_Isn't someone missing me?_

Which was making her nervous. _Why is he just standing there? Why doesn't he say something, anything? Why doesn't he do something? Say he's sorry too, kiss me- Damn. Did I just think that last thought?_ By a stupid reaction of some sort, – _Probably for seeing Rui do this most of the time, back at school..._ – or by weakness, she did what no one on their right mind would do in a moment like this one. She gave in, leaning heavily against him, her lips mere inches from him own. The smallest thread of hope waiting for him to continue.

Kai wasn't about to give in to her though. _No. It would all start again if I did._ His arms encircled her just enough to not let her fall, but his lips were set in a thin line, pulling back from hers as much as he could.

_And if I bleed, I'll bleed,_  
_Knowing you don't care._  
_And if I sleep just to dream of you_  
_And wake without you there,_  
_Isn't something missing?_  
_Isn't something..._

Letting out an almost silent whimper, she leaned in herself. His warmth and scent were all around her, making her light headed. She had suffered enough, she needed relief. A contented sigh left her as her lips captured his once more. But something was wrong. _He's not responding..._ It was like she was simply kissing an inanimate object. Cold and detached. A tear slipped as she pulled away, turning her back to him, her shoulders tense from her attempt at not letting him see she was almost crying.

_Even though I'd be sacrificed,  
You won't try for me, not now.  
Though I'd die to know you love me,  
I'm all alone.  
Isn't someone missing me? _

"We're not meant to be, Iris."

The soft tone he used made her stop, but not turn around, "There's no reason for that. We were together a year ago, everything was fine." She gulped down the uncomfortable lump on her throat, "I just don't understand... why do you say that?"

««Flashback»»  
"But you could tell her that. I'm sure she would understand."  
««End Flashback»»

_If I tell her, there's a chance that she'll understand... Although she'll be in constant danger. But then again, she might not believe me. _Kai wasn't sure of what to say. _Should I?  
_  
"Well? If you haven't had a reason, you wouldn't do that." _At least, not the Kai I once knew._ The mournful tears kept falling, much to her frustration and attempts at stopping them. She might want to get as far away from him as possible, but her mind demanded answers from him.

He chose his words carefully, giving nothing away, "There is no reason. My feelings, if I even had had then in the first place, changed. That's all."

Iris wanted to scream. To cry. But most of all, she wanted to die at hearing him say that to her. To her. _Being hurt by Boris, I understood... I knew he loved seeing me in pain, and saying that it was what I was there for. But being hurt by you in such a way... There are no words to describe that. _"It meant nothing to you."

"I didn't-"

"You only wanted to get to me..."

"That's not true-"

"You bastard, you just wanted to-!"

"Stop it!" He took a hold of her shoulders, slightly shaking her, "It wasn't like that. I didn't use you. I'd never do that."

"Like you'd never hit me?!" she still had her back to him.

For a moment, he tensed, looking taken aback, "That was different."

"And how so?" maybe if she pressured him enough, he'd break and tell her. At least, give her a hint, "You mean you didn't? I dreamt it?!"

"I did hit you. I just don't want you getting hurt-"

"So you hurt me yourself."

The annoyance in his eyes clearly increased, "-by anyone. Being with me, that might happen."

"How? Oh right, I forgot just how strong Tyson can get..." the sarcasm was dripping from every uttered word, as she rolled her eyes.

:: Kai... It would all be much easier if you simply told her. ::

Crimson eyes closed, "BIOVOLT. I want you to keep your distance because of them."

When she looked at where he was, he was gone. Looking everywhere, she couldn't find him. _So, it was true... He didn't really mean it. But why all this scheming to try to push me away? We would have figured something out._ Still lost in her own thoughts, she went back to the ship.

Marishka came out of her hiding spot, jumping down graciously to the floor. Her pretty features were scrunched up in displeasure while a quiet growl escaped her. "If this goes on the way it is now, the plan won't work. They **must** be together. They are indeed soul mates, but we could care less about that. But if they stay like this, we do not have any weapon to use against the Praeceptrix. And that, we cannot have." She huffed, turning around, her clear grey eyes narrowing at the pacific sight that was the calm sea, "Aleera is in that forest they are going to, preparing everything. Till then, I'm on my own. Now... how to put them back together.. Hn..."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The black and silver beyblade spun quietly, the faint sound of it was the only thing that broke the silence.

Sitting at the railings, one hand holding her chin, was Ten. It was dinner time, but she didn't really care. She was concentrated on her blade. But then again, she wasn't worried about it that much either. A sudden sound made her look at a certain direction. She saw nothing, and for that, an eyebrow quirked in confusion, but still… _Something's not quite right… _Another hasty clash made her glance back at Deathscythe. _What- _

Besides her beyblade, another white one was grinding against it, harshly, seriously. A shadow loomed over her a few seconds after, as violet eyes looked up. They widened, _Tala... Great.. Right now when I'm here, and no one in sight…_

He walked down the few stairs of the second floor of the ship, now in level with her.

"Tala." She stood at her full height. Which, mind you, only reached his chin.

"Ten." A slightly different glint was in his clear blue eyes. A cold one, "Care to battle?"

That alone made her hesitate, "Why?"

"Just a simple match. Nothing more, nothing less."

Her eyes instinctively looked for an exit. One found. Right behind the teen blocking her way. _If I do need it, there's no way he'll let me pass. Guess I have little choice in this_, "Alright."

:: Be careful, Mistress. ::

Silently, Wolborg returned to his beyblader's hand. Tala quickly readied it once more, stepping into position, eyes set on Ten, who did the same.

Never looking away from each other's eyes and not even needing a sign, both beyblade's were released at the same moment, crashing into each other before separating and landing on the floor, circling each other. Their bit beasts, not having any orders from any of the bladers, simply reflected their respective emotions: in the harshness of his attack, Wolborg barely hesitated, while Deathscythe simply held her ground.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Looking up, she frowned, "And what do you mean with that statement?"

Red eyebrows immediately narrowed, lips curling back from his teeth, "You're stronger than that, Much, much stronger. All you're doing at the moment is embarrassing your bit beast. I'd have a better battle with an amateur."

_So what? I don't want to fight you... Not like this._ Ten could feel Deathscythe's annoyance at that comment. And at that, she couldn't stop a bit of her own anger. _He's only provoking us..._ A quiet growl was at the back of her throat, but she said nothing in return.

Wolborg's next move was easily evaded by the Black Angel. That made pale lips curve into a small smirk, "Now that's better, Rosa. Let's see what you've got."

_Whatever.. Deathscythe._ The black blade increased its speed and energy, heading for the white one. They both met harshly once more, sending sparks everywhere around them.

Straightening himself, Tala turned his back to her. A few seconds later, Wolborg returned to his hand.

The other top soon did the same, its owner looking back at him in confusion, "Why did you do that for?"

No reply.

"Tala?"

"I didn't realise it before. Now I do. And I'm sorry for that." His back was to her, impossible to know his true feelings since his voice was impassive.

And he never spoke to her quite like that. "What are you talking about?"

He was silent for brief moments. Calmly, slowly, he turned around again to face her, no emotion to be read in his pale features. He made his way towards her, stopping a few feet away from her. They locked eyes. The turquoise orbs gave nothing away, "You are acting as the victim. Which you clearly aren't. And you're rubbing that on my face."

"That's a lie. And I still don't know what you are implying." The distance between them wasn't what she would call close, but still, Ten didn't feel completely secure. And that was another new thing that happened in his presence. She took a few steps back. Only to find a wall behind her. The only exit was now at her left.

He lifted one hand. She flinched in reaction; the last time he had done that was to slap her. But all he did was rest it over her cheek gently. "Don't you remember Axel? Or are you already with someone else?" as disguised as it was, she picked up the slight hurt tone in that sentence.

"I never did anything with Axel. He's only a friend. Or with anyone else for that matter." Her own tone was now of accusation, "Contrary to you!"

"What?!" the anger he had been holding back was finally visible. His other hand placed itself beside her head, blocking her escape.

"Again, I'll repeat myself. You. Rosemary. Together. Kissing. I think that alone explains the situation I'm in. Now, who's playing the victim?"

Tala pulled back, away from her again, eyes narrowed. But he didn't reply to that. He simply swung the door open and slammed it shut behind him.

Five long minutes passed until Ten sighed softly, her knees making contact with the floor, "Oh God... What have I done?"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

People everywhere, eating, dancing, enjoying themselves... Everyone was happy and for brief moments, no one remembered they were supposed to be rivals.

Well, **almost** everyone was happy.

"Iris..."

"I'm **not **going and that's final! He'll be there." She wasn't all that sure about what happened in their last little rendezvous... But right now, like this, all she wanted was some space to breath, without him for the time being.

Four frustrated sighs came out of four frustrated teens.

Rui rubbed his temples, "Know what? I'm kinda tired of this... It's annoying me. But anyway, I don't care right now. I wanna have fun. And if Catherine doesn't, then I sure as hell won't be here." Catching Shauna's hand as he walked, he gently pulled her along, "C'mon, Shauna!"

Giving the rest of them a thrilled grin, Shauna soon followed, "See you guys on the dance floor!"

"Bah! You wish." Iris didn't look as if she would change her mind. The remaining blond linked her arm through her friend's.

"Ah, but you **will** come to the party. It's the last day of the voyage. You'll have fun! Come on." She only found resistance and an arrogant nose in the air.

If Robert could see her now, he would be proud, "No. I'm not going. I told you I'm not going to stop you from having fun. Go ahead, I won't go anywhere."

But alas, with Axel's help, they half dragged half accompanied the black haired girl to the room where the party was being held. Once there, they noticed there was a stage and a dance floor. In the back of the room, food and drinks were waiting.

"Hey, maybe there will be a music band acting!" Tiff grinned widely, "Linkin Park!!!"

"Know what? Drink water, wine's bad for you..." the other female smacked her, "But perhaps you're right. Except on the Linkin Park thingy. Maybe Ten will sing for us instead."

"No one told us we'd sing." The three teens turned around to look at the speaker, Forest.

"But we can always ask someone to let us, of course." Ten added happily.

"Of course."

And of course that, for over an hour, the girls talked. Along the way, Shauna and Rui came over, and more talking ensued. Said blond playboy had succeeded in dancing with all the present ladies... Except for two.

Returning from the dance with Tiffany, a slightly tired Rui leaned over the table, looking from Iris to Ten, "So... Which of the girls follows to dance with yours truly?"

"Get over yourself, Rui." The black haired blader stuck her tongue out at him, "This is one girl you **won't** dance with!"

"Yeah, get in the line. It's my turn now." Axel got up. Walking up to Iris's side, he held out his hand, "Will you give me the honour, mademoiselle?"

Smiling up at him, she placed her hand in his, _Why not.._ "The honour is all mine, Milord." Giggling at just how stupid all that sounded, Iris let him lead her to the dance floor. Almost as if it was on purpose, a few seconds after they got there, a soft ballad started playing. Or better saying, at first, it was quite soft indeed. But Lit didn't really play soft songs.

_You make me com..._

_You make me complete..._

"Miserable."

"Lit."

Both teens looked at each other and smiled. Respectively, that was the name of the song, and its singer.

_You make me completely miserable._

"You know the song?"

"The eMule programme is excellent for getting songs like that one." The older boy grinned lightly, "The song's beautiful, really. It makes me remember past times... Happy and not."

Her smile faltered. She knew what he was talking about. His girlfriend. Correction, his ex. That story had a long past behind it, and not a simple and happy one. And certainly did not have a happy ending.

Ever since she knew him, back when she was around six, he and Melissa were close friends. They both were eight, they both liked each other. Or so she said she liked him. They were around thirteen when they started dating. None had had a girlfriend/boyfriend till then. True, in Axel's case. Iris had always warned him about that fact, that she wasn't fair to him, that she was cheating... But poor him, he really was in love with her.

Rumours said that the week when Axel had missed classes for seemingly no reason was when he finally found out that one of his best friends had indeed slept with her. Though he was not in her school anymore for almost two years, the whole Dominatrix Team knew that wasn't true. He wouldn't sacrifice his studies for a girl, no way. That just wasn't Axel.

Though, something did happen for them to break up and to Axel see the truth. The true reason why Iris always had some conflicts with her captain was that. She knew Melissa was deceiving, yet Axel refused to believe that.

_Stuck to a chair  
__Watching this  
__Story about me  
__  
Everything goes  
By so fast!  
__Making my head spin...  
__  
Used up all of my friends  
__But who needs them,  
__When you mean everything...  
_  
"I see."

"Hey, no need to close the subject. I'm over her since last year, remember?"

"Hu huh." Again, he was lying. He never did get past 'over it'... He never trusted anyone like before after that. He took almost half a year to trust Shauna, and even more to Tiff.

"I mean it, Iris." His arms wrapped around her loosely.

"I'm not saying anything." Her own rested upon his shoulders.

_I love things that we should fear,  
__I'm not afraid of being here..  
So much the same...  
_  
Kai turned away from the mindless chatter of his team-mates. He didn't even know why exactly he decided to come, he just did. Looking around, most of the people at the party were dancing. He rolled his eyes in boredom.

A flash of black and red made him look up though. _So she's here._ She was dancing. With her captain, Axel, if he remembered it right. They seemed to be talking.

_It makes me helpless, alone...  
_  
"Iris..."

Said girl looked up at him.

"The same thing you used to tell me about _her_... The same for you, 'k?"

"Duh, but what are you implying anyway?"

_Nothing to share,  
Why should I  
Care if you're near me? _

Give up all of my plans,  
But who needs them?!  
When you mean everything...

I love the things that we should fear,  
I'm not afraid of being here..

_So much the same...  
It makes me helpless, alone... _

He looked up as if searching for something, his eyes now out of view from hers, "I'm just saying. As a warning." His dark hues locked with crimson ones, unnoticed by her, "Just by the way."

If anything, Iris knew he was speaking of Kai in some level. After that first day, if he heard his name or anything related, Axel sent her a look of warning. Which was leaving her annoyed, "By the way, huh... In Kai's way, by chance?"

_You make me com...  
_

_You make me complete...  
_

_You make me completely miserable_

The sixteen year old looked back at her immediately. He nodded shortly, "Exactly. I don't trust him. I just don't."

"I'm not asking you to." Ok, so why the hell was she defending him? "I know him, remember? I'm with him-"

"With him, just for a few weeks. Like you said." A sigh escaped him, as he pulled away from her, his arms dropping to his sides, "I'm only looking out for you."

_I love the things that we should fear,  
__I'm not afraid of being here.._

_So much the same...  
__It makes me helpless, alone..._

Iris's stare changed to the ground, "I know. But I also know in what I'm in, thank you." That came out a bit colder than she mean it to. He nodded at her again, leaving. Leaving her feeling guilty and alone.

_You make me com..._

_You make me complete...  
_  
She turned around to leave. Only to find her path blocked.

_You make me completely miserable  
__You make me com...  
__You make me complete...  
You make me com...  
__You make me complete...  
__You make me completely miserable_

Inevitably, silver eyes locked with reddish brown ones as she lifted her head. Any insult or remark was caught in her throat at seeing him again.

_Being with me, that might happen. I want you to keep your distance because of them.  
_  
His words repeated in her head.

"I'm sorry. For everything." Knowing he'd probably snap back at her like he did last time, she stepped to the side, starting to pass by him, her head lowered once more, "I shouldn't have done what I did to you."

His hand – cold compared to her skin – held her arm. "I shouldn't have called you that in the first place."

_True.._ She glanced at his hand, before looking up at him. She didn't know if it was just her, but the environment made his eyes seem even darker, albeit lighter in some ways. Confusing? Just like her mingled thoughts.

_"We're not meant to be, Iris."  
_  
That hit her like a ton of bricks. She pulled her arm away, out of his reach. Quickly making her way through the mass of people, she thanked the gods for being relatively small. That made things much more easier.

Ignored everyone else, the girl opened the doors to the balcony and kept on running. If it wasn't for the firm grip on the railings, she probably would've fallen over them and into the ocean. Her breathing was ragged as she hoped that he had lost her.

Alas, he did not. Barely a minute later, the doors opened again, as Kai passed through them. Sighing, she hided her face in her hands. "Why is it so complicated... I feel guilty if I hurt you... I feel complete when I'm near you... No matter what you do, I'll always-" one of his fingers was placed over her lips.

"That feeling is not necessary right now." He whispered softly, dangerously close to her ear.

Her eyelids closed as she let herself be drawn to his mere presence, "Then what do you call this?"

"A state of sheer confusion, in some ways."

At that, silver hues snapped back open. Iris turned around. The closeness she was from him was alarming, though she did nothing to change the fact, not right now, "You still remember that?"

"Back on the bus when we were heading to the airport, in Japan. Why would I forget something you said?" the way he said that seemed to mean why he **hadn't** forgotten...

_You tell me._ Her will was to say that out loud, but she kept quiet. She turned her eyes away from his. "Well.." she wasn't sure if he heard her; she could barely hear her own whisper, "If that's all, I'll be going." Iris made a move to walk away, though she found her path blocked by his arms, one on either side of her. She gave him a questioning look, one dark eyebrow lifting.

"You said you had feelings for me." He said quietly, his eyes giving nothing away. Although, hers too, only letting him see her impatience surfacing.

The way he refused to say that forbidden word would be amusing, if the situation wasn't serious. "You said you didn't."

_Why does she have to be always right? _"So I did."

She let out a mirthless chuckle, "So? Let me go."

Leaning in, he glared at her as he spoke, "That's the problem. I can't. You tell me why. I'm tired, because at night, I think of you. I don't sleep all that much already, but this is too little even for me. At seeing you dance a few minutes ago, it annoyed me to no end. And I don't understand that. I never felt this way before either. Only you make me feel like this."

She glared right back at him, "Oh really? Then, please enlighten me why did you say you didn't have those so called feelings towards me. Because that, darling, is a proof that you do have them. Not my fault if you're too thick to keep ignoring them." Clearly, she could see him measuring his chances: let her go, or not.

Kai finally opted to pull away from her. Correction, his arms did. To her surprise, his lips brushed hers ever so lightly, "As you said earlier, it's complicated."

"It wouldn't be..." her eyes locked with his again, no longer showing impatience, but hope, "We already apologised... We only need to forget."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

From the glass doors that led to the balcony, Axel watched as they both hugged briefly. His eyes narrowed, _They made up... This can be bad._

He had nothing against Iris's attraction towards Hiwatari. It wasn't her fault. And a good observant look in her eyes said she wasn't happy without him. She was in love. Again, he did not blame her. He knew how that was.

Though, something just wasn't right. _He doesn't particularly inspire confidence in me..._ He had no proofs, but still he knew. _Time for a more serious talk with her._ She'll be in denial, as he was all those years ago. But Iris needed to hear the truth. What happened in Russia was enough for her as it is.

But then again, if she didn't want to hear him, he'll just have to be there for her. Protecting her.

The older boy sighed softly, turning away from them, _I'm more of a baby sitter than their captain... _He closed the doors as he re-entered the ship.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

In the shadows, above the unaware couple, Marishka grinned to herself. _Good.. The plan went well. Playing with some teenagers' minds is easy.. Especially, since they were both already confused. Within a few days, the boy will do us a favour. And he'll be the downfall of his own race by bringing the Praeceptrix to her knees. How ironic. Phase two completed._

...TBC...

* * *

**Thanks 2:  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **xD thnx 4 the correction. Didn't see that o.O;; & I dun have tablets. Bleh, can't swallow them 4 the life of me. Nope, effervescent thingies & 15 mins dozing off is all I need 2 get rid of the worst headache :D**

IcePhoenixLove:** well, despite ur idea being tempting, it wasn't exactly wat I was thinking. That was more along the lines of wat is yet 2 come on the 3rd series ;D hehe, but I do hope these last events were enjoyable & that something clicked into place, nya?  
**

**Dark:** **Ok, I'm healthy again. But just 2 b sure, keep reviewing xD Soo... Ten shud end up w/ whom exactly? (A)**


	5. Protective, jealous?

**Dark: Umm… been lazy? xDD well, I did have some tests… & damn, I'm 16 now!!! xDDD **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 5... Protective, Jealous?  
**  
"And we're here." Lowering his cap a bit to protect his eyes from the sun, Rui grinned. The green grass of the mountains greeted them and the port was minutes away.

Most of the passengers were out, also watching, some packing the rest of their things. Both the BladeBreakers and the Dominatrix teams were near the railings.

"About time too! Meh, I was sick of seeing so much water everywhere I looked!" Tiffany was sulking, albeit most of them had no idea why.

"Err, did something happened to her or something, Iris?" Tyson put a bit of distance between himself and the blonde.

"Happened? Nothing, I guess. Though believe me, she has a good reason to be like that. And I'll have too, within a week." The black haired female rolled her eyes. It was clear for both teams that she and Kai were relatively ok. At least, they talked and could stand each other's presence.

At her answer, the boys quirked an eyebrow, understanding the meaning behind the unspoken words. Tiff sent her a look, as she grinned.

"Ah, forget all that, girls!" the first one to speak, Rui, happily draped his arms over the shoulders of both girls, "We're in Brazil! It's hot-!"

"Humid, Rui, humid. It's gonna rain soon." Iris interrupted him, looking up at the grey sky.

"You want me to put that CD again? Around two in the morning? Maybe that'll cheer you up."

"NO!" she quickly pushed away from him, horror in her eyes, "No, not that again! Oh the horror! Horrible, horrible band!!! They should be killed, **killed**, I tell you!!!"

As both Tiff and Rui laughed, the rest of the group sweatdropped.

"O-kay... May I ask why is she like that?"

"Well, you see... It's this band, called the Humans.. They're really bad." Even in the circumstances, Shauna giggled, "They have a song entitled 'Wrinkles'... Insufferable, believe me. I thought Iris was going to launch her blade on the radio when she first heard it."

"Come on, there are worst!" the sulking seemed to be gone from Tiff's mind at the moment. Clearing her throat, she began happily, "Wrinkl- Ouch!!!"

Axel let go of her ponytail, "That's enough, Boisvert..."

"But as I was saying before I was interrupted!" the blonde boy restarted again, pretending to be annoyed, "It's hot and has lots of beautiful girls! In this kind of environment, love is in the air!!!" he nudged both girls, who sent him a weird look.

"Love is for the weak minded. I'm still looking for my guy. And it won't be here in Brazil. Brazilians... They should be the most stupid race Man has ever met! For example, a mother takes twenty years to make her son a man. A woman gets in the way... It takes twenty minutes for her to make him an idiot!"

"I agree... err, in some things." Iris chuckled at her friend, "The first breath of love is the last breath of wisdom, boys and girls. Remember that."

Rui pouted, "Oh yeah? Well, we, men, have to choose... Or we love the woman, or we understand the woman. There's no middle!" three pairs of eyes glared at him. "Hey... Hey I was only kidding!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Look, I said I was kidding-" for the umpteenth, Rui defended himself, and for the umpteenth time, he was interrupted.

"So what? That wasn't ni- Wohoo, who are those guys?" Tiffany smirked, looking over at one of the many teams on the hotel lobby they were supposed to stay for only two days. The small smirk soon grew into a devious grin.

"All she knows, she learnt from me." Chuckling, the other blond patted her back, "Go get 'em, girl!" the only thing he received was a glare. Ignoring him from the time being, Tiff went on her way.

"Sometimes, I do wonder when she'll find a guy to finally settle down."

"Not when, Shauna, **if**." Not having any current problems and being calmer since last night, Iris's sarcastic humour was back.

As the remaining members of her team chuckled along with the BladeBreakers, both the team captains returned with everyone's keys.

Through the corner of his eye, Kai noticed he was being watched. Axel Roth, the captain. _Wonder what's his problem..._ He supposed it was because of Iris. The others didn't say anything; _They probably understood Iris knows how to take care of herself. _Though by a few looks the girl was sending her captain, the slate haired teen wondered if something hadn't went wrong with them in the past.

On their way back to their rooms, both teams separated to their respective floor. And once alone, Axel slowed down his pace to match Iris's.

"Iris-"

"Will you stop it?" her eyes were narrowed as she glared sideways at him, "He noticed. What do you want to do, make him feel uncomfortable around me? Push him away?"

"No, I don't care, no and yes, respectively." The older teen returned her glare.

"You won't start with that **again**, will you, Axel? I told you before. I know him. He knows me. We understand each other, in a way no one would understand us. And we are aware of that."

"I just-"

"In those few weeks I knew him, and he, me, we made love." Those three last words were enough to shut him up. His dark eyes widened for a moment as he took a step back. "Don't be that surprised. It's not as if you're a virgin either." Her arms crossed over her chest, "Don't think I didn't know. But that was for you to know how much I trust him. Even after all I've been through back in Russia."

His hands turned to fists, his lips were set in a thin line, "You are way too young to know what love is. I thought you were more mature than that. But alas, I was wrong. And for that, he should break up with you again, just for you to understand how much true love hurts." Looking over at her one last time, he turned on his heels, walking away in the opposite direction.

Sighing quietly, Iris made her way to her room. The soft click of the door seemed to snap the rest of the team to attention as they followed her example. After this they knew Axel wouldn't probably return to sleep.

In her bed, not even bothering to take off her clothes, Iris laid, wide awake. After that last statement, her calmness, her relief from before seemed to be gone. Afraid of Kai, she wasn't. She was afraid that again, his voice would tell her the words she didn't want to hear.

She knew she wouldn't be able to take it all over again.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

It was early in the morning, most of the teams were enjoying the last few hours they would have left of sleeping in a comfy bed. Some others were just testing old friends.

"Deathscythe!"

"Lugiohan!"

Both black beyblade's met in the middle of the dish, their respective bladers not looking away from each other's eyes. A few of the blows were far from friendly, but there was no hostility.

"Everything alright?"

"As good as it can be."

"You're lowering your defences, Iris." Most of the warmth in the black haired girl's eyes vanished as she turned to look at her captain.

"I beyblade as I like. You don't need to order me around. I'm sure you have more interesting things to do." Both Kironi and Forest exchanged a confusing look while Ten quirked an eyebrow, not really knowing if she should interfere or not. After all, she was in the middle of the arguing... Arguing she had no idea of its source. Glancing at the remaining members of the other team, the three girls saw them roll their eyes.

"My 'interesting things to do' is advising all of you. And it does seem like I need to order you around. You're hanging out with the opponents in a dangerous way." The cold stare softened a bit as Axel glanced over at Ten, "Not speaking about you girls."

"And there you go with the same idiotic talk again!" turning on her heels, the angered girl glared at him fully. As she expected, he didn't even flinch. No surprise there, he was like that. "You really seem like a scratched record, you know, always repeating the same thing over and over again until I'm so sick of it all I wish to do is kill you! What do you have against me? Against my own happiness?!" the last sentences were a fraction below yelling, the clench and unclench of her fists showing just how much she wanted to slap or punch him.

"Nothing. But it seems that the older you get, the stupidity gets better." Not caring about her anger, he rolled his eyes. "You don't learn from your mistakes, ne."

Even if involuntarily, in the forgotten beybattle, Lugiohan sped up receiving the anger coming from her keeper, "Roth, if I were you, I'd shut up. And for this one time, I'll tell you to shut up calmly, because I don't know what I'll do to you if you don't."

All the older boy did was turn his back on her, "I say whatever I like. No need to order me around. I'm sure you have more interesting things to do." As he quoted her, his tone was indeed sarcastic.

"Iris, calm down." Tiffany stepped forwards, holding her friend's wrist tightly, "No need to make a scene right now."

"His fault!" the angered girl growled out. If the palms of her hands were dripping blood, she wouldn't be surprised. Her fingernails were long at Shauna's request to polish them; they were digging into her skin. But before Iris could take a step in his direction, a grey beyblade landed barely a foot away from her, lifting some dust. At that, everyone jumped in surprise except Axel, Ten and Tiff.

Grumbling a few obscenities to herself, her silver hues turned to her left, locking with blue ones. "You do realize that that was a dangerous thing for you to do, right Yuriy? I don't enjoy being caught by surprise."

"And I don't enjoy seeing two friends fighting over the stupidest of things." Stepping into view, Tala glanced over at Axel and ever so briefly, their eyes locked, the reminder of their last encounter still fresh in their minds.

But the one who felt the most uncomfortable was Ten. The reason of their unspoken rivalry was her, not that she was all that happy about it. _Treating me just like something valuable that needs protection. Valuable, yes, but nothing more than an object. _

Without uttering a word, Axel left.

"Meh." Rui decided to speak in his own language, not wanting Tala or the Viscera Nigror Team to understand, "He's getting more and more enemies if he keeps this up. Phoenix boy, the Fur ball over there and Iris herself. Can't be good."

"You bet." The blond girl beside him sighed quietly.

"They do understand the word 'phoenix', I'm sure, Rui. It's not all that different, except for the accent you use." Kneeling over to catch Lugiohan, Iris didn't look at anyone. Her scowl and probably her glare right now was enough to scare anyone away. She continued in English, "I'll see you guys later."

Tilting his head to the side at hearing what seemed like 'Phoenix' and Iris's strange reaction, Tala walked near her, also kneeling to catch Wolborg. As he was about to ask Iris about it, his hand touched something warm and soft instead of the cold metal of his beyblade. Glancing back at his hand, it was by mere inches his lips didn't touch Ten's. And for the few seconds that thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but remember the feel of her soft rosy lips on his. The warm and soft something was nothing else but her own small hand, which had also caught Wolborg, probably to give it back to him. They both got up as he took his hand away.

_Life can be a challenge..  
__Life can seem impossible..  
__It's never easy, when so much is on the line..._

"Here." Wetting her suddenly dry lips, the violet eyed girl placed the beyblade back in his hand with a touch of shyness in the movement. As soon as she touched him, she withdrew, even if she did admit it felt... right, against her own skin.

_But you can make a difference  
__With courage, you can set things right  
__The gift to dream,  
__And make dreams real  
__  
Is yours and mine...  
_  
"Yuriy!"

_That voice..._ The magic of that unique moment seemed to disappear, not slowly, but suddenly. Looking over Tala's shoulder, Ten froze. She took a step back, away from him, as the redhead turned to look behind him.

"Rose..."

Rosemary McGregor beamed as soon as she saw him. She had on a short blue mini skirt, along with a black crop top and a white waist length jacked over it, finishing with white quoin sandals. Her hair was shorter, wilder, but still of a reddish brown tinge as her cousin's. Running in his direction, she literally threw herself in his arms.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable at feeling Ten's stare on him, Tala held her tensely.

"Long time no seey, huh..." pulling away from the embrace ever so slightly, the Scottish girl pecked his cheek. As she did so, her light eyes noticed Ten for what seemed the first time, "Oh hey..." a grin suddenly was on her lips, "Ya escaped! T'at's great!!!"

The sweet gesture of the peck made the other girl feel a great disappointment in her chest, "Yes, I did. Thanks for asking." _And for caring about such a thing..._

"Rosemary McGregor." She gave a small nod in her direction, her grin not faltering. She obviously had no idea about what had happened yet... Ten couldn't help but feel a slight envy at how blissfully innocent she still was.

"Tenebrae Rosa." She turned to walk away, her eyes lowered.

"Latin, eh? Means rose. At least we 'ave t'at in comm'n." Letting out a quiet chuckle, Rosemary continued, "Hope tah seey ya 'round."

_That, and the boy who has stolen your heart._ The brown haired girl forced herself to turn back to glance briefly at her, a small fake smile on her lips, "Same here." She noticed Tala was avoiding looking at her. Her hands turned to fists. _No need to be ashamed of this. You asked for it, you deal with it._

"An' 'ow 'ave ya been?" still unaware of the tension, Rosemary looked up at the boy holding her, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Smiling to herself at catching him off guard, she stood on her tip toes, capturing his lips with hers gently.

His hold on her tightened as the blue orbs locked with hurtful violet ones. Was it really his fault? Tala didn't know the answer to that. He felt happy with both of them, felt complete. But being with both meant hurting both. Who was he supposed to choose?

Her breath hitched in her throat as she bit her lip as not to let the gasp come out. It was hard not to shut her eyes at the sight, to keep her head high. To let him know that didn't affect her. Maybe not on the outside... The feeling in her chest got worse. The girl turned around so fast some strands of her hair collided not so softly with her cheek. But at the moment, she couldn't really tell. The pain, no pain, could be as horrible as the one she was feeling now. _Used. That's all he made me feel. Gave me false hopes to destroy them in the next minute. _She headed out of the beautiful hotel they were in at a fast stride. She needed peace. Time to think. Here, with all the teams along with her own wouldn't do.

The city was big, enormous really, from what the Dominatrix team had already said. A few minutes after she went away, and like Iris had also said, rain started to fall. Hard, but warm on her skin, the wind cooling her down ever so lightly. But she wasn't really worried. The climate was tropical, close to the Equator, it was normal.

Ten had no idea of where she was heading, the indications of the streets were of no help since they were in Brazilian. Though all those absent and possible problems were at the back of her mind right now. After turning a corner, she finally ended up in the main boulevard of the touristic area of the city. A few seats were along the wide street. Almost mechanically, her feet took her to one of them.

Once seated, her eyes looked up ahead of her. Light sand, a few rocks, a dreamy sea, the sun high, warm and pleasant. A great beach day. The waves were mostly small, lazily licking the shore before returning to where they belonged. _And where do I belong? _

The tears were almost prickling her eyes, she could tell. But since she knew no one, she supposed that wasn't much of a problem. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms around them, and her chin resting lightly on top of one.

Even if through her short life she only knew a few true friends, this was one of the few times where she didn't remember the last time she felt this alone. This dejected. _I never knew what I did to deserve all this... I didn't ask to be born, didn't ask my parents' deaths, didn't ask for the dark past I had. But since I do have one, it seems that my future is nothing but haunted with that reality. _

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Only in the middle of the night did Ten return back to her own room, exactly five minutes later of the team next door to close the last light.

Rui, Shauna and Tiffany found themselves in the middle of a sickening politeness from the part of the two other members of their team. They spoke tensely and only when it was really necessary. But luckily, all that would be forgotten in the morning, as it always happened. At least, one part of it, they all hoped. Even Nevola seemed to notice the tension, and had been acting less energetic. Though, the baby wolf did like to chase Rui whenever he walked, as he so complained about.

Knowing the small animal was with Tiff right now, Iris stretched out her arms and legs on the bed, feeling the velvetiness of the blankets against her bare skin. Bare, to a point, she did have her underwear on.

She felt a bit anxious; she had spoken to Kai earlier, asking for a small practise. Two birds with one stone: she could be with him with no Axel annoying her and she could practise with a good enough partner. After turning for at least five times, the girl knew she missed the times she had slept beside him. But somehow, she made herself fall asleep after a few more failed tries. Tiredness had finally won.

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««Dream»»  
_He threw her down to the floor, not caring if she ended up hurt or not. But she wouldn't give him the pleasure of knowing, like she never did before. Inwardly, she flinched as her hip knocked painfully against the floor. _

Her silvery hues searched for a way out of the dark room, finding none. 'Shit...' _Her breathing quickened.  
_  
_"Liking the feeling of having no exit out of here? No interruptions, no one." A smirk tugged at his lips, somewhat different from his usual ones, his arm making a motion in general to the room. _

Her legs were pressured one against the other firmly, her lips set in a thin line. "Fuck you, not me. Just let me go, haven't you had enough of me already?! You still need to haunt me and mock me in my dreams?"

"Enough of you? I doubt that. And your.. dreams?" he knelt beside her, whispering at her ear as she recoiled from the closeness, "This is no dream. It's just a sample of what is to come."

Her eyes widened, 'What?!' _Iris tried to get away from him, only to feel cold cement behind her. The wall. "No... Shut up, it won't happen... Ever again.. My team... Tala, Ten... Kai. They'll stop you." His smirk widened as he heard the last name. _

A cold laugh escaped his lips, "Keep dreaming... You'll see."

In this case, that could be taken in a sarcastic or literal way. "Leave..." Her voice had lowered to a quiet hiss as she saw his hands move to the edge of her shirt. Strangely, their touch seemed oddly familiar, almost... pleasantly. His larger hands were strong, and yet, they seemed to be smaller than she remembered. "Leave me alone!" taking a strong hold of her shirt, he simply ripped it apart. In the next second, her arms went up, covering the exposed skin as much as she could, his laugh sounded, mocking her, teasing her to try and escape him, making tears start to brim her eyes.

Her trousers followed swiftly, then the rest of her clothing, adding to the ever growing bundle of discarded clothes behind him. Her struggling was in vain, she knew that long ago. But still, it was something that told her that she hadn't given in to him, something to make her feel not so humiliated... not yet, at least. At least, she had fought as much as she could.

'No... Not again... Please...'  
_  
Her prayers fell in deaf ears as his hands took a hold of her shoulders, turning her around to kneel on all fours, facing the wall. The soundless warm tears that rolled down her cheeks couldn't be stopped anymore, her forehead resting against the cold humid wall in misery. Once he'd start, it would probably hurt her if she was this close to the wall, but right now, she couldn't care less. _

Cold fingers wrapped around her neck as she felt him change his position, his free hand parting her legs, ironically running it gently from the back of her knee to near her hip, "So weak. Crying, snivelling pitifully... How unusual of you. Where's your fire? The struggling?"

Her sharp teeth bit down on her bottom lip, making it bleed. She didn't care. She was tired of it all... She wanted to rest, to sleep peacefully. But the dream didn't seem a memory like the others... It was... stranger than that. Felt more wrong than it usually did.

"Have it your way..." He leaned forwards as he entered her harshly and forcefully at the same time. Her eyes were wide, hurt and humiliation swimming through them, mouth open with a silent scream, all of it already too familiar to her. The tickling feeling of his lips grazing her ear gave her a false sense of tenderness and yet, she felt it... familiar, "Bitch."

The pain was suddenly at the back of her mind, her eyes as wide as they would go. 'No...' _That last word. It wasn't Boris's voice, far from it even. Now it all made sense. _

The familiar touches and feelings...

The strange caresses here and there...

The small differences...

This time, this single time, Boris didn't rape her.

Kai did.  
««End Dream»»

A short lived scream left her lips as Iris sat up straight on the bed, eyes wide open in fear and denial. Unconsciously, her legs clasped against each other as tight as she could, her fingers running over her necklace were Lugiohan's bit chip was. The cold sweat made her shiver, as she slowly caught her breath. A quiet howl in the next moment almost made her jump out of her skin, followed by shushing sounds. A bright light was turned on. Her arm went up to cover her sensitive eyes from it.

"Iris?" Axel got up from his bed; the turned on lamp was beside it, she realized. He had been sleeping obviously, his hair spiking in all possible directions as the boy blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He didn't normally walk around bare-chested either. Briefly looking over to the digital clock, it read in vivid red numbers 2.06am. "You screamed... At least it sounded like you- You're bleeding." At the sound of that, the other three occupants of the room next door entered though the adjoining door that connected both dorms.

Shauna was in her thin nightgown, trying to pull it down a bit more, since it barely grazed her mid thighs, but concern was shining in her warm eyes. Rui almost tripped over his own feet, Nevola, the responsible for the sudden howling, happily pulling and biting on the hem of his pyjamas. And finally, Tiff grouchily joined them, her hair almost as wild as Axel's was, the tips of it brushing the tops of her thighs. But once seeing the state of her best friend, she quickly knelt beside the bed. "How did you do that? What happened?"

"Do... what?" the movement of her chin made her feel a wet cold liquid on her lips. Reaching up, she gingerly touched them, pulling back. Crimson. When she bit her lip, she must've done the same in reality. "Oh... It was... my nightmare. Sorry if woke you up."

"No matter 'bout that." Rui muttered quietly, as he reached down, picking up the canine by its nape and dropping it unceremoniously on Iris's pillow. At feeling the silver eyed girl's hair tickling its ears, it immediately tried to shake it off, ending up in finding yet another thing to play with.

"Sure you don't want to talk about it?" the blond girl kneeling asked, still looking at her.

Iris pulled on the wolf's tail as Nevola growled quietly, playing with her hand instead. The scratching and biting would probably leave marks, not that she blamed the little one, "I'm sure. It was just a bit stranger than the normal ones I have. But I'm ok."

"If you're that sure, that's enough for me." The girl got back up, her thumb brushing away the tear streaks on the pale girl's cheeks. "Smile? For me?" Chuckling sadly at that, she forcefully made a smile appear on her face. "Good girl. Now get some sleep."

"I'm not that parrot of yours to obey you."

"Kyron's not a parrot, he's an eagle. Which isn't very fond of Rui." The tension was partially lifted at least.

"Yeah, I'd say so. Damn vicious thing tried to rip off my finger!" said boy pouted cutely as he always did while the others rolled their eyes, already used to him. Albeit, Shauna did let out a muffled giggle.

"Your fault. No one said you should go ahead and try to hold him."

"You do that all the time. And Iris does too."

"But we're girls, 'member, playboy?" moving the white furry baby to the side, Iris laid back down on her bed, though her voice was almost mechanic; her mind was somewhere else, "We have a way for animals. Boys don't give value to that, or to nature all together."

Her tone reminded them of what had happened, though they kept silent. The three other teens went to their room, while Axel moved to his own bed. With a last look in her direction, the captain allowed himself to close his eyes.

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Her turquoise eyes searched the room, bathroom and balcony. Nope, no Iris. _I know she was planning something for today... And I know she needs someone to look after her after tonight. What was the place she- Ah yes.. The fountain. She likes it there._

Tiffany took a glance over at the lightly sleeping Axel. His eyebrows were furrowed, though he did seem to be sleeping. But with him, it was hard to know. Always was. Shrugging it off, she opened the door to the exit, slipping out unnoticed. Taking a look at a nearby clock on the wall, she saw it was around 5.30am. _Didn't sleep much more, did you, my friend?_ If she wasn't at the fountain right now, she was sure she'd be soon enough. Both of them trained there, that was fact.

Once there, she nodded sarcastically to herself, _Whoopie, why don't you shut up, maybe God up there won't mock you so..._ Indeed, Iris was not there. _Guess I'll have to wait._ Taking out her pack of cigarettes and lighter, she sat down on the other side of the fountain. A small colourful bird landed not far from her, making her smile ever so slightly. Another one, almost all white, landed beside the former.

At first, they drank from the still fresh water of the fountain, which would warm up as the sun got brighter and hotter. The colourful one shook itself a bit, making some drops of water enter in between its fluffy coat of feathers to keep it fresh. The other soon did the same.

One of her fingers was placed in one of the small tubes that sprang the water about. Manoeuvring her digit to the side and putting pressure on the hole as to keep it springing very little water, the flow of fluent liquid turned into little dew instead, which ended up in being an enormous relief to both birds when she directed it to them. They puffed out their feathers, cleaning them carefully and proudly.

Those two birds made her remember of a certain couple. Kai and Iris. She had nothing against them, nothing. On the contrary; she could see it in the other girl's eyes just how happy she was once they were ok once more, back at that small party. When Axel started with the 'over protecting' thing, she had not approved. They were happy; just because he had bad experiences didn't mean they shouldn't be together. _But for Axel, the world spins around himself... It has to. _The blond sighed. She felt she should help them out, she had already vowed that to herself. To keep them together.

It was her last thought before she heard the gentle rustle of leaves.

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As the black haired girl had said the day before, at the back of the hotel there was a garden. By following it, he would reach the place they had agreed to meet in. Kai was a bit ahead of schedule for almost half an hour, not that he cared about that, but before meeting her like he did several times one year ago, he needed some time alone first.

The ground suddenly turned to stone instead of the fluffy grass, forming a large circle. In the middle of it, a large white fountain was right in front of him, several trees surrounding it, giving out big shadows.

"And what's the big bad Kai Hiwatari doing in such a peaceful place?" at first, the feminine voice seemed Iris's, but the irony and antitheses used wasn't her style. At least, not that he knew of. And ever so slightly, the tone was deeper.

From behind the fountain, the tips of her light hair wet and heavy from grazing the water, Tiffany stepped into his view, her arms crossed over her chest in a fashion that reminded him of himself. But her tone was what ruined the slightly good mood he had. Kai rolled his eyes, "What do you want."

"None of your business." Strict and to the point. Nice attitude. "And the name's Tiffany. Would be useful if you used it, I'm sure you'll be seeing me a lot more. To your sake too."

"Can't wait." Contrary to her voice, his wasn't sarcastic. But his eyes showed just how much he was taking this seriously. Meaning, not at all. Looking around one last time and not seeing Iris, he leaned against the nearest tree, the thick branches and leaves protecting him from the sun. Not caring he was there, the blond girl stood right beside him, stretching her arms up and grabbing one of the lower branches. One of her feet used the trunk of the tree and Kai's own shoulder to give her leverage. He got out of her way as soon as he felt that, almost making her lose her balance, "Don't push your luck, French girl... Don't you have anything better to do anyway?"

"I'm mostly portuguese, so bug off. And no, I don't. You could be standing there naked for all I cared. Wouldn't give a damn." She settled comfortably on a higher branch, enjoying the view.

"Is that a challenge?" an amused smirk appeared on his lips. He didn't enjoy her company, their attitudes were too much alike for his taste. Nor she, his. But the conversation was amusing in a way.

"If you see it that way. Can't control your thoughts, ne?" she pulled out a cigarette, placing it between her parted lips and lightening its tip. Taking a breath, she let the smoke fill her lungs pleasantly before letting it out through her nose, the nicotine already flowing through her blood system.

He let out quiet a chuckle, "You have answer to everything, don't you..." the smell of the smoke reached him as he looked up, "You smoke?"

"Yes, yes, I do smoke... Since I was about twelve." Tiff took out her beyblade, cleaning the bit chip with an almost adoring look. "And I wish people would stop being so surprised. And if I didn't have an answer to everything, it wouldn't be me."

"And who might you be per chance, Tiffany?"

Seemingly effortlessly, the girl balanced herself upside down, her knees keeping her secure, her eyes levelled with his, "Moi? An orphan. Been living out of Axel, Rui, Shauna and now Iris's hospitality. Might be strange for you to hear that; heck, I know that back in your country in some towns, people are quite friendly, helping each other out. But back in mine..." the chuckle that followed her was mournful, bitter, "No one cares, no solidarity. I would have died if I hadn't met Iris and her sis. Her family helped me out in everything they could. Then we all met Axel. Before Miranda was killed, we were all happy and carefree. But they came. First her sister. Her family... Murdered right after that, one by one, making all deaths seem like accident, and making it seem like Iris herself had been kidnapped. While she was gone, both Rui and Shauna joined the group. And last year, with your help, Iris returned to us. The Devious Trouble Duet was reunited once again. As for myself, I may still have family somewhere, probably in France, who knows... But since they never **claimed** me..." a sneer was on her lips.

The sarcasm and amusement on the situation were gone. In their place, another piece of Iris's past was discovered. Yet again. Whenever the... Praeceptrix, as Dranzer called her, was around, something new about her past was put to sight. Though it was never by her own free will, on the contrary it was because she was obliged to, like that time when they had first found her or by her own friends, like this one.

"Silent, boy? Too shocked to speak?" taking the cigarette to her lips again, she let out the smoke slowly right in his face.

Closing his eyes and lowering his chin so that his scarf covered half of his face, his eyes opened again, glaring at her, "Whatever. I'm sure your past has been terrible, as many people say the exact same thing."

"Ah, not to worry, young Hiwatari. I do know your past was quite dark, no walk in the park either." At the lift of his left eyebrow, a smirk curved her lips, "Your pose says it all. I read it in your eyes. Or better saying, I don't. You're cold. Cold as ice. Untouchable by most, you like it that way. But you should open your eyes more. You're not the center of the universe. What about Iris? The Demolition Boys? Me, Axel even? For once, look around you and see other people's problems. You're not alone even if you wanted to be." Resuming her position back on the tree branch, her bright eyes drifted close as she lightened yet another cigarette.

A somewhat pleasant silence ensued as they both reflected on what had been said.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Would be useful if you used it, I'm sure you'll be seeing me a lot more. To your sake too."

Silver eyes narrowed as their owner stopped, _Tiffany? What's she doing here?_

"Can't wait." The deep voice, amused and serious, belonged to Kai obviously.

An uneasy feeling began gnawing at her stomach as she finally spotted them both. The slate haired teen had just leaned against one tree. In the second after, Tiff boldly jumped to the branch right above him, using both the trunk and his shoulder to give her the needed balance and leverage.

The boy moved over to give her space, "Don't push your luck, French girl... Don't you have anything better to do anyway?"

"I'm mostly portuguese, so bug off. And no, I don't. You could be standing there naked for all I cared. Wouldn't give a damn."

"Is that a challenge?" the familiar smirk appeared on his lips.

Iris's rosy lips parted ever so slightly, _He can't be serious, can he?_

"If you see it that way. Can't control your thoughts, ne?" her friend had, yet again, started smoking.

In what seemed like amusement, he let out a quiet chuckle, "You have answer to everything, don't you..." a small pause before he looked up in slight curiosity, "You smoke?"

"Yes, yes, I do smoke... Since I was about twelve." Tiff took out her beyblade, cleaning the bit chip, an annoyed tone in her voice. "And I wish people would stop being so surprised. And if I didn't have an answer to everything, it wouldn't be me."

"And who might you be per chance, Tiffany?"

Hurt flashed through her silvery orbs for a moment as she took a step back from where they were, _Is he actually flirting with her, or is it just away for him to pass his time?... With my best friend... _An uncomfortable lump was on her throat.

In a flexile move, the blond was upside down, her knees keeping her secure, both the teens' faces separated by mere inches. The feeling in her stomach got worse.

If it was envy or outrage, she couldn't really name it. But what was happening was clear. Without any shame, Tiffany was playing around behind her back, between herself and Kai. That wouldn't be much trouble; Tiff was like that by nature, funny, nice to get along with anyone and, even if not as much flirtatious as Shauna, she was hot headed when it came to boys. And when she liked one, she wouldn't let him get away. But the worst thing, what was making her breathing a harder motion, what was squeezing her heart, was that he was letting her, not making a move to avoid her.

"Moi? An orphan. Been living out of Axel, Rui, Shauna and now Iris's hospitality. Might be strange for you to hear that; heck, I know that back in your country in some towns, people are quite friendly, helping each other out. But back in mine..." the chuckle that followed her was mournful, bitter, "No one cares, no solidarity. I would have died if I hadn't met Iris and her sis. Her family helped me out in everything they could. Then we all met Axel. Before Miranda was killed, we were all happy and carefree. But they came. First her sister. Her family... Murdered right after that, one by one, making all deaths seem like accident, and making it seem like Iris herself had been kidnapped. While she was gone, both Rui and Shauna joined the group. And last year, with your help, Iris returned to us. The Devious Trouble Duet was reunited once again."

Her head snapped to the side, the once silver eyes turning light grey ones, the sparkle in them gone. _And I thought you were my friend. You... I trusted you... And Kai... Am I not good enough? Right, I was raped, no one wants me around. Forgot about that detail._ Turning on her heels quickly, Iris got out of the garden, into the lobby of the hotel. Going up the stairs, she got back her red fingerless gloves, adjusting them beneath her mittens. Picking up her long black jacket, she left the room again. The others were still snoring away, but the thought was at the back of her mind.

Nevola lifted his furry head from under Rui's arm for a moment. He blinked once or twice, sniffing the air. Almost immediately, the small wolf recoiled against the warmth of the teen beside him, feeling the hatred and anger still lingering in the air. A quiet whimper escaped him; something had gone terribly wrong.

While that, the black haired girl was long gone. She was stomping down the partially empty streets, having no idea of where she was heading. The girl had the chance of asking her way back, but what she wanted now was to try and calm herself down. If she caught Tiffany alone in the next few minutes, she was sure she'd kill her without a second thought.

The envy was forgotten; that wasn't the problem. It was the sense of betrayal the whole ordeal brought. Without her contentment, the blue eyed teen had said everything about her past to a guy she knew for barely two weeks. And since while she was at it, she also ended up on telling him about Iris's own family. _What's with her? I hate talking about my family... She knows that. Why did she went and spill everything out and give it to Kai in a silver tray?!_ And speaking of the devil... _How could you... Kai.. Let her do that without pushing her away, do something about it? My best friend, huh... Till now, that is. She only wanted you. Her fault... And yours, for letting her. And don't think you can say you're sorry and kiss me, saying it'll never happen again. I won't buy it, mark my words. And now, my blond friend... You'll wish you had never set your so called innocent eyes on me in the first place..._

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Middle of the afternoon. No Iris.

The Dominatrix team was all in their dorms. Shauna wasn't paying all that much attention, playing with Nevola, while Rui, sitting beside them on the floor wrinkled his forehead, twirling Zephyrus in his right hand.

Tiffany was leaning against one of the walls, her arms behind her back, worry etching in her features. "Think she might be in trouble? No one saw her go to lunch or even saw her at all."

"The guy at the lobby said she passed by him near six o'clock or something close to that." Axel was sitting in his own bed, elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped, knuckles white. His lips were set in a thin line and his eyes didn't leave the door, "But after that, nothing."

"Oh relax, she can look after herself..." Shauna rolled her eyes, as usual keeping cool, "Stop worrying; you know she hates that. Remember that time back at school? She was gone after she went to drink some water in the middle of that basketball game. When she came in, she just said she had taken a walk because she didn't stand basketball."

"Lopes, this is nothing like that! We had agreed that we would have our meals together. And training at half past seven! She missed breakfast, training **and** lunch. Don't tell me that's-" the captain interrupted himself as he heard the click of the door. Iris's figure passed through it, her hair down for once. Her bands obscured her face, her eyes barely visible and scary from between the thick locks of midnight black mane.

"Iris... Where were you?" Tiffany sighed in slight relief, while Shauna grinned at their glaring older captain.

"See? I told ya!"

"Around. Much like you." The voice that passed her lips was barely a whisper. An oddly cold whisper. The smile fell from the blonde's face.

"Iris?"

The wolf playing around with the remaining female suddenly stopped, getting up. Lowering his head a bit and pulling his ears back, he snarled in the new comer's direction.

"Calm down, Nevola... She just put her hair down and looks a bit- HEY!" Rui immediately pulled back his hand which the canine had just attempted to bite. "What did I do to you!"

At the silence of her friend, Tiffany got a bit closer, "Is... something wrong?"

"Wrong?" her head snapped up suddenly, pupils wide and dilated, "You are wrong." With only time to take an unsteady step back, Tiffany widened her eyes as Iris threw her to the ground.

"Iris!" one hand covered her elbow which had smacked against the wall, wide turquoise eyes confused and hurt, "What's gone into you? What did I do?"

The other girl smirked bitterly, tilting her head to the side, her hair letting only one of her eyes to be seen. The jacket that was around her fell from her shoulders. "You committed a very, very grave mistake. Now you'll pay dearly for it."

"What?!" she tried to get up, but Iris's foot rested right above her stomach, pressing painfully. The next sound that escaped her was a light groan.

Axel had gotten up, "Iris, knock it off. That's quite enough."

"Shut the fuck up. No one asked your opinion." Taking off her foot and kneeling beside her, one of her hands rested against the side of the fallen girl. Her thumb was right above her trachea as she slowly pressed down.

A strangled cry escaped Tiffany, one hand grasping Iris's wrist as tightly as she could. The laid down position didn't help her and the other was putting weight on her torso; she couldn't escape.

The next thing Iris felt after the extreme pleasure she was feeling was something pulling her off of her so called friend. A vicious growl escaped her lips, which was answered by the wolf in the room, "Let me go. Let me go right now!"

Her captain was holding her arms behind her back, keeping her still as both Shauna and Rui helped Tiff up.

Massaging her sore neck, the half French teen still didn't understand a single thing, "Iris... Why?"

"You know the reason perfectly well, you slut! How dare you taking advantage of me!!" everyone else gasped while the one holding her simply narrowed his eyes.

"Iris, calm down. Let's all sit down and talk about it like normal people do. We're not in the stone age to resolve everything with fists." The girl wriggling in Axel's arms didn't slow down her efforts to break free, "Want to do this the good way or the hard way, Blanchett?"

"Shut **up**! This has nothing to do with you!! Just let me go!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I'm sorry." Holding her down with only one hand, the sixteen year old reached over, covering her nose and mouth.

Iris's eyes widened at that as she tried to free herself for different reasons, her harsh movements making her air supply soon disappear. One of her hands got free at the last moment, grasping and pulling at his wrist before the world went black.

Once her body went limp, Axel finally removed his hand, glancing over at the rest of them, who in return, were looking at him wide eyed. "She's not dead, but the lack of air made her faint. What did you expect me to do?"

Tiffany's hand was still absently rubbing her neck, "I just wonder..." She knelt beside the one who had just tried to kill her, just in time to see a lone tear fall from underneath her thick dark lashes, "What happened for her to act this way. Because I really have no idea..."

...TBC...

* * *

**Thanks 2:****  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **Tch, lazy xP Hehe, that's ok, at least u reviewed, ne. **

IcePhoenixLove** Hehe, hope I didn't make u 2 confused, huh.. xP thnx 4 the compliment & hope u liked this :) **

hiwatarisaori: **I'm glad u enjoy my writing, ne :P Hai, I do try xDD thnx 4 the compliment, means a lot. Hope u liked this one as well ;)**  


**Dark:** **Tch, this wud b here sooner, but I've been off during the whole day. Party bcoz of the sweet sixteen, ne. I have rights 2 xP But plz review, as my own gift, eh:P**


	6. The Rule of Four

**Dark: Sorry, but my computer has been hell 2 deal w/… & well, I've been having a lot of work… & then, there were tests… & trainings, a competition I had 2 attend 2 yesterday… umm… yeah… just… y'know… read & review… & dun kill me xP **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 6... The Rule of Four **

"Something is definitely wrong with those two..." a certain red haired Russian captain of a certain Russian blading team said to no one in particular as the portuguese team passed in front of him and the rest of the Demolition Boys.

Iris was leading the way towards the guy that would take her team's name, Axel walking calmly behind her, one of his steps two of hers. Then Tiffany, glaring at Iris's back with Shauna, who was amusing herself making small braids on the former blonde's hair. Rui was the last one, entertaining himself with looking around, probably checking out for girls.

"That I remember, I haven't seen Iris without that blonde one at her side." From beside Tala, Ian spoke up.

"Nor did I remember seeing Iris with her hair loose like that."

At Spencer's sentence, Tala tilted his head to the side, "She doesn't like it. Says it gets in her way too much. So that means she's hiding something or that she doesn't want to look at anyone."

"Well, it coul' be lots of re'sons, if ya catch mah drift." Rosemary stated, a knowing female-comprehensive smile lightening up her pale features as she stood beside Tala. "Eve' since t'at time o' t'e mont' tah break up."

The four boys looked over at her before looking back at their former female companion.

"Maybe Kai does have something to say about this."

"I'd bet on that, Spencer."

It was around seven o'clock in the morning, and the day promised rain. Not an unusual thing of course, if you didn't count with the bloody temperature which was around twenty seven degrees Celsius. Most of the teams were already there.

_"I've got another confession to make...  
__I'm a fool."_

All the bladers standing in the big clearing just outside the forest where the tournament would take place snapped their heads up, looking around for the source of both the tone of the almost sighing voice and the soft accompanying guitar.

_"Everyone's got their chains to break,  
__Holding you."_

"Hey, isn't that friend of yours, Iris? Just by the way..." Shauna pointed over her shoulder with her thumb towards three teens. Three chairs were put there, but only one was being used properly, where Forest Romano sat, headphones over her ears, eyes not leaving the sound equipment which was just ready to give off the supposedly harsh beat of the song. The guitarist was none other than Kironi Ngo, looking over the crowd almost indifferently, though her features held a strange sense of calm that usually wasn't there, as if every note, every full accord put her at peace.

_"Were you born to resist, or be abused?_

_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?"_

And the lead singer, like that other time back in one of the first nights of their trip here, was Tenebrae Rosa, her eyes partly closed and, depending with the words and the harshness of her own voice, her expression changed between an almost weary look to a slightly angered one.

One trainer clad foot was on the seat of her chair as she sang, letting out the impression of being on her own environment, which she was.

"_Are you gone and onto someone new?"  
_  
Most of the teens moved, standing as close to the musicians as they could, some sitting on the grass, only to stand back up after noticing it was wet.

Unnoticed by the rest of the members of her own team, Iris sighed deeply, looking down, her hair bathing her features in shadows. Just like she felt now. All the words her friend sang, every emotion she managed to pick up in her voice suited her. Once again, she wondered just how different she was from Ten. _Not by much, I'm sure..._

_"I need somewhere to hang my head  
__Without your noose  
__You gave me something that I didn't have  
__But had no use...  
__  
I was too weak to give in,  
__Too strong to lose  
__My heart is under arrest again,  
__But I break loose  
__  
My head is giving me life or death,  
__But I can't choose..  
__I swear I'll never give in,  
__And I'll refuse."  
_  
Turquoise eyes glazed over, memories returning ever so slowly, even though the Russian captain didn't ask for them.

But could anyone really blame him? He hadn't particularly asked for this to happen. To hurt Ten in such a way. But he didn't want to hurt the red haired girl standing beside him either. They were both... different. Still, both liked him. Or at least he hoped Ten still did. Although, the question remained unanswered. Who to choose?

"_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Has someone taken your faith?  
__It's real, the pain you feel  
__You trust, you must  
__Confess."_

Saying that the captain of the BladeBreakers was pissed off was an understatement. Kai was downright clueless as to why Iris hadn't come over to meet him, why hadn't she talked to him yet today. Why her back was turned to him and the rest of his team and, even though he'd rather see her like that, why exactly was her hair down. _Something's up. Something happened, and I'm almost positive of the cause._

His mahogany orbs flicked over to the older teen of her team. Axel's face held an almost relieved look on his features as he stood between the DT Duet.  
_  
"Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Has someone taken your faith?  
__It's real, the pain you feel,  
__The life, the love,  
__You die to heal,  
__The hope that starts  
__The broken hearts  
__You trust, you must  
__Confess_

_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?"  
_  
Her fingernails dug painfully into her palms as Iris felt the metallic flavour of her own blood in her mouth. Guess the biting of her lower lip wasn't that much of a good idea. _How ironic... How fucking ironic..._ The need was bigger than she could fight it.

The black haired girl turned around, scanning the numerous teams around. Though his slate hair and pale complexion along with the dark maroon eyes weren't too difficult to find. Not even noticing it, her eyes changed from the usual silver to red for the first time in a long, long time.

"_I've got another confession, my friend  
__I'm your fool  
__I'm getting tired of starting again,  
__Somewhere new..."_

Only one word was capable of describing Tala's thoughts right now. Utter confusion. Over two females. Could the world get any worst?

Maybe it was for the best if he left both girls? No one could blame him for hurting neither. Because having both wasn't possible... _I just hope this doesn't get any worst than it already is. _

_"Were you born to resist, or be abused?  
__I swear I'll never give in,  
__And I'll refuse_

_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?_

_Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?"_

Axel's dark eyes fell from staring at the various expressions Ten's features were going through. It made him remember quite a few things, things and a certain person he most wanted to forget. He knew those same expressions, that tone of voice, that sadness, that anger like the back of his hand.

Not knowing what had happened to either the Russian girl or the co-captain of his team at his right side, he could still say they were both ditched. Iris, if her anger was giving her away, because somehow, Kai had cheated her. Ten, maybe because she was fooled. Just speculations, yet he knew they were close to the truth.

_"Has someone taken your faith?  
__It's real, the pain you feel,  
__You trust, you must  
__Confess  
__  
Is someone getting the best,  
the best, the best, the best of you?"_

Her voice faded, as her eyes kept being tightly closed. Pushing away the chair, her hand came up to rub her eyes gently, brushing away any evidence of tears that might have escaped. Once composed, she nodded at the crowd of bladers as they all cheered and whistled.

Glancing over to her side as she felt a hand on her shoulder, she gave her microphone over to the host of the tournament.

"First of all, I'd like to welcome you all to my beautiful country, Brazil." The man said happily to all of them. Most of them cracked a smile; his happy attitude was contagious. "And to especially welcome the four top teams of the world, including three others; the BladeBreakers, the Demolition Boys, the All Starz, the White Tigers, the Majestics, the Dominatrix and last, but not least, the Viscera Nigror teams!" at the last name, he draped an arm across Ten's shoulders, who rolled her eyes discreetly, the smallest of smiles curving her own lips, clapping along with all the others.

"My name is David Teixeira, the host and the responsible for anything that happens from the moment you enter this forest behind me. This tournament was created to incentive tourism to this city, I'm not going to lie to any of you. A certain... accident happened a few years ago." Beybladers who were neither Brazilian nor Portuguese looked at each other in confusion even if what he said was in a barely accented perfect English, "Now, like all tournaments, this one also has rules. Four rules, actually. These basic four cannot and will not be tolerated, if broken. Now... Food and sleeping is at your captain's responsibility. The forest is big, has a lot, and I mean, a lot of good and exotic food, not to mention the frequent banks of food such as rice and dough every few miles and a few clearings to set camp. This is the first rule: no help with food or sleeping."

The teams glared at him; as if it wasn't enough to be stuck in a stupid tropical forest for the whole tournament...

"The second rule. Before I say it, **no** changes can be made, it's already set and I assure you it was all by sheer coincidence. Every team will be divided in groups with an average of fifteen beybladers in each; four teams, more or less. Four groups. They cannot be changed in any situation as I said. Group A is formed by the Majestics, Dark Felines, White Passion and Master Battalion teams. Group B is formed by the All Starz, Techz Shockz and Red Devils teams. Group C is formed by the BladeBreakers, Demolition Boys, Viscera Nigror and Dominatrix teams. Group D is formed by the White Tigers, Night Legacy and Silver Claws teams. So you see, this tournament has sixty beybladers participating, give or take a few."

"Cool. We'll be with the BladeBreakers." Rui looked behind him, giving a thumbs up to Tyson, who did the same, "Niiiiiiiice... We can train with them!"

"Ray seems nice enough to talk. I'm sure he wouldn't mind telling me about his culture, ne, guys?" Shauna suddenly said, causing Rui to frown immediately.

"Yeah, sure he will, Lopes."

"Hmph... Chinese culture..."

Both Forest and Kironi changed looks, looks that perfectly meant 'Uh oh'. In unison, they looked at their team captain. Ten wasn't looking at anything specific, violet eyes narrowed, but unfocused. They all just hoped nothing serious would happen between her and Tala. Though the worry was more directed to the situation of how Tala would end up if he provoked Deathscythe's mistress.

After a small pause to let the news sink in, David continued, "Now, of course that you are a group, still you'll act as individual teams. In training, taking care of the food and all that. But if there's someone hurt for some reason or deciphering something that has been spread along your way, you can help one another. And of course, if there's a team that leaves its group, it will immediately be disqualified. You were warned. This is your third rule." Groans of complain were heard.

"The fourth rule is more of an advice than a rule really, but I'll say it anyway. To every team captain, there will be given a map of the forest. The two teams that arrive to its centre are the finalists. Along your way, you'll find paths that will cross with your own, just as you will find a bey dish. Above it, there will be a monitor that will inform you of what team will battle and against who. So, every free time you have, you should pass it training. If one team loses, they should turn around and come back here. Now, when I say running, obstacle races and other activities, I didn't mean it literally. Like you must be thinking, the forest isn't a high way. You'll have to cross the Amazon River for example and a few more dangers. Do not worry; if there's any problem, we have people waiting to help you out. Of course that, in such a case, you'll be disqualified, but there's no problem of hurting yourselves too badly."

"Hang on a sec..." the rest of the Dominatrix team turned to look at Shauna, a sudden look of terror dawning in her features, "Where will we bathe?!"

"The Amazon River has various tributaries. You can use those." The captain shrugged, not really worried, "You won't die because of that; it's only for two weeks or so."

"Two **weeks**?!" the remaining five members of the team, Axel's twin Tiago having joined them early that morning, glanced back at her immediately, "I can't go through three **days** without having a thorough wash of my hair and you want me to go on and bathe like an animal for **weeks**?!?"

"Geesh, calm down, 'k? Have you ever thought of the children that would-" Tiago quickly shut up as she sent a death glare in his direction that would make Iris proud.

"I won't do it, guys. I can take a lot, but two weeks inside that forest... Doesn't it have billions and billions of horrid insects and such?"

"Oh yes... Those cockroaches and centipedes and little white and green wall lizards all over the place, crawling up your sleeping bag without you noticing, sliding up your legs-"

"SHUT IT!" her amber eyes were wide as she looked over to her fellow snickering blond friend. One of her arms was tightly wrapped around Rui's neck, who happened to be the closest boy she had found.

Said male seemed to be quite proud of himself if the smirk on his lips was any indication, his arm wrapped around Shauna's now quivering frame, "Tiffany, don't scare the poor girl; you might be fearless, but it isn't her fault if she can't stand bugs. So what? As for me, I can't stand arrogance." Everyone sweatdropped at him as if to say 'yeah, right'. Ignoring their expressions, he leaned over, pecking Shauna's lips lightly, who looked back at him in surprise, "Will that be enough to convince you coming?"

A charming smile was his reply, "Course, Rui."

Both twins rolled their eyes, trading a stare between them. _Young love..._

"I wouldn't say fearless, Tiago."

The older boy turned to look at the black haired girl, who had just spoken, "I didn't say-"

"Not you, I meant Rui Tiago."

"Oh."

The blond playboy pouted, "Don't call me by my middle name."

"Whatever." Lifting her head a bit, but not enough to anyone see her eyes, she continued, "Tiff's not really what I would call... fearless. She's afraid of heights. Hills and the edges of high points make her dizzy."

"Thanks, Blanchett." Turquoise eyes flashed, "Because last time I checked, you were afraid to death of spiders."

"I wasn't referring to me. I know I'm not fearless. Maybe because **some things** happened to me." A death glare was sent her way.

"Ah right..." Tiffany's tone was now sarcastic. The four remaining members of the team looked at her startled, their eyes all shouting 'NO!' at her, not that she cared. "You mean your blue haired darling, ne..."

Lifting her head just a fraction more, silver eyes suddenly flashed red again, "You tell me." A whisper barely heard over the commotion of the talking teens around them and the cracking of her knuckles.

"**I** tell **you** about **your** boyfriend? Get real, Iris and stop talking in riddles. Any grudge against me, say it now."

With a small jerk of her head that only girls are able to do graciously, one side of the black and red silky hair tumbled from her shoulder to down her back, the bluish red eyes glaring hard.

Instinctively, Rui pulled Shauna closer as the two older boys got ready to restrain any of the arguing girls.

"Weren't you the one hitting on **my** boyfriend? Or better saying, ex? Or did he have the guts to ask you to do it right in front of me just to trigger me off?" Iris growled out, her eyes narrowing to mere slits.

"What?!" the blond looked over at her as if she had gone crazy, "Are you mad or something? Must've knocked your pretty little head pretty hard too; that, or your dreams are getting quite out of control. Or then again, you're seeing far too many drama movies. I may love hanging out with boys all the time, kiss them just for the hell of it. Call me tomboy, call me slut, whatever, what I do know is that I do all that in fun's name." her voice quietened, turning from sarcastic to serious, "But I'd never hit on a guy who already has a girlfriend, Iris. Much less your guy. I know what you went through, both in your past and to trust him. You really think I'd betray your friendship like that? You're my best friend."

"With that said, I hope you enjoy the tournament as much as we enjoyed planning it. If nothing goes wrong, we'll be delivering the cup to the winner team in a couple of weeks. And please do not forget; you have a time limit. It will be given to you along your way, so keep your eyes open. If your team isn't present in the match in fifteen minutes after said limit, you are disqualified. No exceptions. Oh, and one last thing. The matches might be between teams in your own group; that's the main reason why you should keep your training and techniques among your own team hidden from the others."

Who was she kidding? What was happening to her? _With what right did I have to go and say such a thing... I didn't saw them kiss or anything.. But she did say things about my past I didn't want her to. _

:: But you have not warned her you did not want her to, if I do recall correctly, Mistress. :: Lugiohan's reasoning calmed her:: But Lord Ignisithar's Bearer isn't the only one you need to apologise to. ::

_I... know that..._

:: Lord Dranzer is worried. Young Master Kai isn't happy after you left him there alone, as you must imagine. ::

_Hence, I **know** the feeling..._ "And you are... mine." Her chin fell down to her chest.

Tiffany's eyes softened, "Then why all this? Why did you go and try to kill me or something? You got me scared for a bit back there."

The hand that had almost done so twitched unconsciously, "Sorry about that.. I let my anger take the best of me." _And my sorrow. _She turned away. "Though excuse me if it did seem you were about to kiss Hiwatari right in front of me."

As the Portuguese team walked away, Ten's stare turned away from them and over to a certain captain of a certain team named BladeBreakers.

"You've that look again."

Turning around, she looked over to the Korean a few feet away from her, "What look?"

"**That** look... That calculating glint you usually have when you're trying to work something out." Kironi stopped trying to put her guitar back in its leather casing, which wasn't working probably because the zip was half way closed without her noticing. "Something wrong?"

"Not really. But I guess it's up to me to clear a few things out."

By now, Forest had also walked up to them, "How so?"

The violet eyes that ever since the encounter with Rosemary had been dull softened, sparkling ever so slightly, "To keep a relationship intact, which should have never been broken."

After finally having the maps and everything they needed, each group started their journey in different places. The path was narrow though; two people walking side by side was already difficult to manage. Axel was at the front, because he was the oldest. Or at least, that was the excuse he gave. Behind him, the Dominatrix team followed, Tiago, Rui teasing Tiffany about her being afraid of heights, Tyson joining them later, Shauna walking casually behind them and braiding her own hair this time, taking the chance of talking to Ray, and finally Iris, chin still lowered, not looking at anything in particular. Next, the team Viscera Nigror walked calmly behind her. First Ten, glancing over to her own map once in a while, Forest right after and then, Kironi.

"'k, I knew the country was tropical, but this is starting to get ridiculous..." the black haired girl tugged at her turtle neck, running the back of her hand over her sweaty brow.

"What is?"

"The heat..."

"You knew what you were in for." Ten chuckled softly, "Besides, if anything, I should be the one complaining. I mean, between here and Russia, the difference in the temperature is around thirty degrees, if not more."

"Yes, well... You're not complaining, so, I am."

Walking behind the three girls, the Russian team's conversation wasn't far from that topic either.

"It's humid, it's hot and it's green!" the three remaining boys of the team looked at their shortest member.

"It's green?"

Ian's frown deepened, "Well, it is! Everything is green around here! It's sickening!"

"And last time I checked, we were in a forest, remember?" Tala rolled his eyes, "It's just normal that everything **is **green. It would be weird if it wasn't."

"Though I agree on the being hot part." Spencer added.

"It's also normal that it's humid. We're in a tropical forest. Near the Equator." The captain continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if it started raining." As if on cue, a small drop of water fell right on the bridge of his nose. Looking up, more drops followed the first one, getting bigger and more frequent. A typical tropic rain.

"Did you really have to say **that**? Maybe if you had kept quiet, we wouldn't be under the threat of ending up drowning!"

"Shut it, Ian..."

And walking behind them was Kai, not looking very pleased to be there either. The rain was heaving on his hair and clothes and the fact that Iris remained avoiding him was getting on his nerves. And finishing the group, Max and Chief were talking quietly about the strategy they should use.

"Axel, we should stop!" Shauna suddenly turned to her left side, thinking she heard a hissing sound. "This is starting to seem like a deluge or something!"

"And if you don't want to sleep in its remnants, we'll continue and settle for the night in this clearing." The black haired boy lifted the map, pointing to a blank green dot on it, free of trees. "It's in a high point. No water, if we're lucky by the time we reach it."

"Which should be?"

"In about two hours." A few groans and complains from the back made him smirk, while Tiago shook his head.

"You do enjoy making them suffer, don't you?"

"Well, not really, but it's fun sometimes."

"That, coming from the guy who rarely has fun." The twin rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Last time, it was on Tiffany's birthday. Everyone tried to make her bite the edge of the cake, to smash her face in it afterwards. She managed to resist everyone, but then you did it. And you started laughing like a maniac." The boy snickered.

The captain sweatdropped, "Glad you spoke in Portuguese. And that no one listened."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Finally..." Rui flopped down on the slight humid grass, sighing. The two hours had somehow changed to a little past that. Almost three, in fact.

As she passed by him, Tiffany kicked his stomach, not gently, but not very harshly, "Move your sorry ass, playboy. We have a tent to put up."

"Tent?! Come **on**, why? It's perfect! No wind, a nice enough temperature.. It's evening, we're all tired!"

"Forgot about the sudden rains and all that?" Iris also took a turn at glaring at him sideways.

"And Shauna and her bug phobia..." Tiffany added. "So yes, we DO need a stupid tent! And **you**'ll help."

"Nooooooo..." the blond boy rolled onto his stomach lazily, his arms crossed, his head resting comfortably in between them, "I'm tiiiiiiiired..."

"Are you now?" Tiff knelt beside him, a mischievous smirk on her lips, "Would you like me giving a different timbre to your voice?"

He turned to look over at her, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion, "What do you mean, giving my voice a diff-" his eyes widened suddenly, as he quickly got up, "NO!"

"Glad to see we're of the same opinion." The girl smiled almost pleasantly, getting back up. "Come on then."

An awkward half an hour finally passed until all the necessary tents were up. Two people on each tent. Though in the BladeBreakers' case, someone had to stay out.

"Sure you don't mind, Kai?"

"Whatever. Just as long as I don't have to put up with your loud snoring, that's fine by me." A faded smirk graced his pale lips as the captain caught Tyson's ridiculous pout.

"I don't snore!"

"Yeah right..."

"Excuse me." The five teens turned around at hearing the soft female voice. Ten stood there, looking at them expectantly, "As you know, my team only has three members. And since you guys are five, one of you will have to be in only one tent as well."

"Oh yeah.. Kai won't mind sharing with you, don't worry." Tyson grinned happily, which earned him a death glare from said boy.

"Sure you won't mind, Kai?" the girl fought down the victorious smirk that threatened to appear. _Just as I expected._

The slate haired blader shrugged, "Not really. Just don't annoy me."

"Would never think of it."

After everyone finally settled themselves, a small fire was lit in the middle of the nine tents. Most of the clearing was occupied by them, even if they were quite close to each other. And soon, it wasn't just the normal whining from Tyson wanting food, but everyone else's too.

Sighing, Tala got up, "Alright, what do we have to eat?"

Axel looked up at him from his laid down position, smiling sarcastically, "Well, let's see... nothing at all?"

"Our group has seventeen people in it and no one had the brilliant idea of bringing any food?"

"You're insulting yourself with that sentence too, you know..." Iris smirked as his glaring was now directed to her, even if it softened ever so lightly. She perfectly knew he didn't stay mad at her for long.

"Whatever." The Russian boy turned to look behind him, to one side of the path and beyond it, "We need to get some food."

"And we will. I don't intend on dying anytime soon, don't know about you." Axel also got up, walking past him and into the thick foliage, a bag dangling from his fingers, "And if you want too, you better start following."

Letting out a quiet growl, the redhead followed. A few seconds later, Ten passed by him, carrying her own bag, Kai not far behind.

It was only a couple of minutes later that they finally found something. The host of the tournament hadn't lied when he said there was a lot of fruit. Mangos, apples, oranges, passion-fruits, dates, grapes, cherries... To continue with the sweet fruits, what was missing was strawberries, but since they grew in slightly colder areas, there was nothing they could do.

"Right, so I think this is quite enough..." the four of them separated, gathering some of the fruit.

"While we don't find one of those banks the guy told us about, we're reduced to eat fruit." Tala muttered to himself, launching Wolborg. The light grey beyblade went up the tree's trunk and over the branches, cutting off a few of the apples on it.

"So? It could always be worse."

"Well, I suppose… What was that?" Tala suddenly turned around, facing another foliage-covered tree.

"What was what?" Ten stopped her work for a bit, popping a bright red cherry into her mouth right after, looking up at him in mild curiosity.

"That hissing sound." He narrowed his eyes, lifting his hand and catching his beyblade. "Something's here."

"I think you're just being paranoid." The only female captain held back a slight giggle "Anything that might be dangerous, the guys responsible for the tournament took care of it."

Axel chuckled softly, "I agree. But then again, the wolf isn't exactly on his natural habitat, is he?"

"I know what I heard, alright?" the redhead glared at him, before starting to walk back into the tents' direction.

Almost at the same time, both the older boy and the remaining Russian captain looked at each other, shrugging. Along with Kai, they followed.

"You sing very well. I didn't say that the first time I heard you sing."

The violet eyed girl looked up at the black haired boy who had spoken, smiling softly, "Thank you. It's something I enjoy doing in my free time. Besides beyblading."

Axel nodded, "I know. The way you do it, I mean, in a moment your voice is soft, the next harsh.. The feeling behind it all, the way you put your thoughts into the lyrics. If you didn't enjoy it, it wouldn't come out as good as it does."

Along with the light smile, a faint pink blush coloured her cheek bones ever so slightly, "Guess you're right on that... Lately, after all that happened..." unconsciously, her eyes looked over at the boy a few feet in front of them, "Composing a few... harsher songs hasn't been very difficult."

"You shouldn't get yourself too involved."

Her hues turned back at him sharply, "What do you mean?"

He was glancing forward, ahead of them, though his eyes were unfocused, a small distant smile on his lips, "Ivanov. You should be careful. He's with another girl, isn't he?"

"He wouldn't hurt me." Her voice was more secure than she really felt in reality. After their last conversation... Which couldn't really be called that, "And yes, I suppose he is. Hasn't she been fawning all over him lately?"

"No. But I'd recognize the hurt in your eyes." At the narrowing of her eyes, his own snapped out of the glazed over state they were in as he chuckled softly, "I don't mean to offend you with that. You do hide it well away from everyone else. But sometimes, it's just too hard to hide."

"Do I have an expert on the area?" her eyes softened at that, his chuckle originating one of her own.

It was his turn to blush lightly, "You could say that."

"What's her name?"

"It's- Nah, forget it. You're still too young to understand all that." As Axel glanced over at her, the far away look in his orbs returned.

"You're just a year older than me. Or at least, you seem like it." She sounded slightly offended, "Besides, after going through a childhood that didn't exist and trusting only six people through it all, yes, I'm sure I'd know if I felt love."

He lowered his eyes to the soft grass, "I'm sorry. I just... don't like to talk about that."

"That much, I understand. But not when you say I'm too young."

"I'm used to be with younger teens. Iris, Rui... Guess sometimes, I consider them all people I have to look after. And when others come along, others that I give at least a part of my attention, I increase the list." The boy shrugged, not really knowing if she would understand his trail of thoughts.

"Am I in that list of yours?" she asked, a small smile on her lips. A smile which Iris, Tiff and Shauna shared when they knew something the boys didn't.

"I guess so..."

"You don't need to look out for me, you know. I know how to take tare of myself perfectly fine." A part of her wanted to continue and say 'I have to', but that would probably lead to more questions. Questions she didn't want to search the answers to.

"I can see that, it's just... Well, Tala doesn't seem to care all that much. I'm not trying to make you think he's evil or anything, it's just that I don't want you getting hurt over a thing like that. Not like I did." The last part was muttered to himself, even if Ten did hear him.

"And... do you care?" at the lightly asked simple question, his pace discreetly slowed down before he continued normally.

"I do care about you." Short pause, "As I care about my team."

He wasn't looking at her though. She quirked an eyebrow at his profile, _I doubt he only meant that..._

"Ayy!"

The three teens a bit behind looked up to see what had caused the redhead to yell out in an alarming way. They all stopped a few feet away.

Tala had, seemingly, fallen backwards. Or at least, he was lying down on the grass, his upper half lifted by one arm, his free hand was holding his shin.

Kai looked over at him, lifting one eyebrow, "I don't even want to know."

"Don't! Stay still!" as the bluenette was going to ask why, he continued, "Snake."

Near his feet, a green and yellow snake sat, curled up in itself, the forked tongue coming out to taste the air, the tip of the tail and the head the only things out of the curled sleek body. The nostrils flared once in a while, waiting to check for some movement.

Moving slowly, Axel went behind the animal, watching as its head followed his steps. Kneeling beside it, he brought one hand up. As the reptile got ready to attack, his other hand caught the neck, right below the mouth, the other hand quickly grabbing the tail.

"You alright?" Ten knelt beside the Russian boy, resting one hand over his shoulder.

Tala sighed quietly, eyes drifting close, "It bit me. My leg." The hold on his leg tightened. "It hurts... It must be the venom-"

"No." they all glanced over at Axel, who had dropped the snake into some bushes nearby.

"Are you crazy?! That thing can come back and follow us to-"

"Will you be quiet? It's harmless!"

Blue eyes blinked, "It is?" The auburn haired girl beside him bit back a chuckle.

The portuguese sighed, "Yes… The venom might make you feel dizzy, but that's all. If it did bit you. And yes, I know all that. One of my subjects back at school is Biochemistry, so I should know and distinguish poisonous snakes. The type of fangs that snake had is harmless; the poison they release too little to cause any problem in humans. And it certainly isn't a viper or a black manda(1), so, if it could kill you, or any of us, it would need a lot more venom. And a longer bite. Let me see."

Rolling up his trousers, two small wounds were definitely there, small drops of blood coating the grass on the ground. The older blader gave him an amused grin, "Ok, it bit you. And it really didn't like you; the fangs caught your muscle. If you put too much strain in that leg, it'll take some time to stop the bleeding it will cause. But hopefully, in the morning, the wounds will start to close, so don't worry." He got up. "Now come on. The others must be starving. And like I said, you need to rest that leg, Ivanov."

A few feet away from the tents, they all stopped at hearing the bushes moving, yet again.

"Alright, I'm getting sick and tired of nature's funny tricks... What's going to come out of there, a wild cat?" rolling his eyes, Tala walked over. Boldly, he plunged his arm into the bush. It didn't take long for him to hiss softly through gritted teeth.

"Is it the wild cat, Tarzan?" Axel chuckled softly.

"I doubt it, but I think it belongs to someone." The redhead reached out with both his arms, pulling out a white bundle from between the green thickness of the bushes. A baby wolf, which had a small red scarf tied around his neck, his small fangs digging happily into Tala's wrist. At the sudden jerk the boy did to free himself from him, the canine shook his head a bit, making a few leaves and twigs fall off of his fur. His dark innocent eyes looked up at him, as he let out a small, happy sounding bark.

"Shauna's."

"Nevola, isn't it?" Ten took a few steps forwards, petting the soft furry head. The small wolf opened its eyes lazily, sniffed once or twice and closed them again, snuggling closer to the Russian boy. "Heh, he seems to like you."

"Whatever. His fangs are a tad too sharp, so I suppose this guy's a wolf, huh." Holding the cub only with one arm, he let the other gently pet it. At both his and Ten's stroking, Nevola yawned tiredly, settling in a more comfortable position, his chin lying comfortably in Tala's open palm, one paw dangling over his arm as he enjoyed the attention. At some point, inevitably, both Tala's and Ten's hands touched ever so lightly.

Not even waiting to see who would be the one looking up, they both turned away, Ten falling into step with Axel, one or two feet behind.

"Thank god you're here!!!" Tyson's happy expression was the first thing they saw as they arrived. In his hastiness to go for the bag Kai was carrying, it wasn't very surprising that the younger blader fell flat on his face. Though that wasn't enough to stop him; it wasn't long till he started stuffing all the fruit he could reach into his mouth.

"What took you guys so long anyway?" Iris quirked an eyebrow at Axel, while rummaging through the bag full of fruit, "Meh, just my luck... I don't enjoy fruit all that much, you know that... mango, no, papaya, no way. Ah, grapes... At least that."

"Some... misfortunes happened on the way." His eyes fell on the redhead, who, again, glared at him full force.

"Oh my god! Nevola!!" Shauna finally resurfaced from her own tent, looking worried, "I've been looking all over for you!" The small pup opened its eyes, letting out a half purr, half whine, resting its head back again against Tala's arm. She took it gently away from his arms, trying not to disturb its rest. Nevola growled quietly, before settling in Shauna's hold. The girl leaned in, pecking the Russian's cheek lightly, "Thank you for finding him."

"No problem. I think he was stuck in one bush. I heard the noise and walked over to see. Then, I found him." One red eyebrow was raised at the blonde's behaviour, not that he said anything about it.

"Better saying, he found your wrist." The captain of the BladeBreakers completed, receiving a glare in return.

"Err... well... he does enjoy biting and chewing a lot... He's still a canine." Shauna giggled softly, "Sorry."

"And one more thing, we found these." Ray held out four cards, each one with a date, place and a distance, the four teams' logos each in their respective card. "Matches."

Kai picked up the one of the BladeBreakers, "In three days... We'll have to walk about ten to fifteen miles to reach there. At 18.00pm."

"Fifteen **miles**?!"

"The first combat is in two days' time. At 14.00pm. We'll have to walk seven to nine miles by then. It's our first match." Kironi explained, turning to Ten at the last sentence. Nobody paid any mind to the horrified look Tyson was giving out.

Said girl nodded, "I see. We'll have a lot to walk. I suggest we all go to sleep."

"Something tells me these two days will be nothing but torture..."

"First thing you said that might be considered intelligent today, Tyson. And you didn't even mention food."

"Shut up, Kai..."

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Violet eyes opened, focusing a few seconds after. Their owner slowly got up, careful not to wake the boy beside her.

As those same eyes locked on a certain navy blue beyblade, a bright red light emitted from the bit chip for barely one second, illuminating the dark space they were in.

Her fingers tightened their hold on her own black and silver blade, a soft dark glow coming from its center, almost as if answering the red one's. One pale hand reached over in a tentative way. She was risking a lot, that much she knew, but if she succeeded, maybe the talk that the owner of the other top wanted to have, which would obviously end up in a loud arguing, might not happen. _Just maybe..._

The boy beside her stayed still, no movement. His breathing was regular, eyes softly closed. One wouldn't doubt he was asleep. Though she did. Kai wasn't someone to mess with, let alone let someone steal his beyblade. Still she had to give it a try.

Talk to Iris? She's too stubborn for her own good; she wouldn't listen to or see the reason even if it was right in front of her in neon lights. She'd kept to her own decisions till she died, that was fact.

Talk to Kai? Right, he would really listen. Not as radical as Iris is, no, but has his own ideas; wouldn't change them all that easily, that was fact.

Lugiohan, she knew, had already tried to talk with the Praeceptrix. Big problem; Iris's ego and pride were far too big for her to lower herself and say she committed a mistake. In front of Kai. The sky would fall, chickens would grow teeth and pigs would fly before that happened.

Now, Dranzer could be their salvation. Their and everyone else's hearing and health. The Fire Phoenix could make things worst, true, but if the right words were chosen... That could be avoided. A chance Ten wasn't willing to give up on.

Her fingers got a firm enough hold of the attack ring. As soon as she made contact, a second presence made itself known, besides her own bit beast. Gingerly, she tried to take it off Kai's hand.

At the soft pull, his eyebrows furrowed together. She pulled back her arm as his hand flexed, then relaxed once more, its owner sighing softly, still asleep. At her second try, he didn't move. The breath she was holding was slowly let out. The Russian girl picked up the beyblade, lifting it up to her eye level. Its chip shined softly again, as if in greeting.

:: Good evening, Mistress Tenebrae. Your mind is troubled, I see. ::

_You could say that, Dranzer... This won't turn out good, I'm sure of it._ Her eyes glanced over at the teen beside her, in case he woke up.

:: I understand your concern. But I do not know if Master Kai will listen. He wishes a talk with the Praeceptrix; a false accusation will not be taken lightly. ::

Her stare went back to the Fire Phoenix's bit chip, _That's what I'm afraid of. They both have suffered enough as it is. Will a meaningless misunderstanding be the cause of their break up? _

Short pause:: So it would seem. ::

A low growl escaped her before she could stop herself. Glancing over to check if the boy was still asleep, her orbs hardened, glancing back to the beyblade on her palm, _The balance was broken, ever since last year. We need to stick together, to trust each other. We can't let this happen. _

A slightly longer pause:: How did you have knowledge of such a matter, child::

She smiled softly, _My bit beast is the Angel of Death. Deathscythe would know if something like that was wrong. She told me so. When we were still in that ship... Whatever caused the disturbance was nearby. _

:: Lady Deathscythe is correct. But it does not mean that you should have been told of this issue. The slight change in the balance does not affect you, humans. ::

:: Not just yet. :: a second voice, lighter and feminine marked Deathscythe's presence. :: They have a right to know. It will all rely on them after all. ::

:: I am aware of that. :: the phoenix replied, somewhat between annoyed at being interrupted and knowingly, since he obviously knew what the aftermath of the whole thing would be. Even if her curiosity was picking, Ten knew not to ask any questions about it. :: But do not worry, youngling. I shall talk to my Holder. But I cannot promise you anything. ::

_As long as you at least try, it would be appreciated. It's better than not doing anything anyway. Good luck._

The light pause and the soft tone of the next sentence almost made her think he was smiling sadly:: Thank you. Good luck to you and yours also. You will need it. ::

Maybe it was because she had heard those words before, maybe it was just her... But somehow, she knew the Fire Phoenix didn't mean something as mundane as good luck for the tournament.

...TBC...

* * *

(1) **If that's not the name of the most dangerous snake in existence, it now is.**

**Thanks 2:  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **Thnx 4 the compliment & the gud luck :P Oh, & sorry 4 taking this long xP I'll also review ur fics, dun worry!!! Just dun kill me 4 taking so damn long…**

hiwatarisaori: **So sorry 4 the wait xP Hehe, he'll live, dun worry xDD some way, or another. It's not my usual thing to kill any characters during my fanfics. But I'm not promising anything (is that a hint? O.o I'll leave that up 2 u xDD)!! Hope u liked this & thank u very much 4 reviewing!**  


**Dark:** **Consider it as my x-mas gift xDD plz b nice & review, nevertheless, it's a triple update!!! xP**


	7. Secret Smile

**Dark: 2nd update today. **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 7... Secret Smile  
**  
Rui squinted, one hand covering his light eyes from the few but bright sun rays that managed to pass through the thick branches and leaves of the trees above, "I can see something up ahead. We're not far."

"I sure hope so..." Tiffany had a look of murder in her eyes, "Remember me who had the idea of us coming here in the first place?"

"I gave the idea and you agreed." Iris quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah." The blond boy added, "I remember that. You also said it would be a nice change to see other people and other nationalities or something along those lines."

Turquoise eyes opened wide, unbelieving, "Someone drugged me that day, I'm positive."

"Nicotine is a drug, you know." Axel appeared from behind her suddenly, one of his hands covering hers.

Tiff narrowed her eyes at him, looking from their hands to him, "Let go."

The captain shook his head, pulling whatever it was in her hands away from her, placing it in one pocket, "Whether you like it or not, you'll stop doing this."

She growled, glaring daggers at him, "Whatever..."

"I don't want to sound too cliché-like, but I told you so." The black haired girl shrugged.

"I bought that with my own money. Besides, it's my life, my lungs. I couldn't care less. It calms me, that's all I want."

"It's bad either way." Shauna slowed to a stop from her light jogging. Nevola, who was happily chasing the straps of her sandals, knocked into her legs, tripping over her feet. The little wolf got back up, shaking itself to clear the dizziness. It soon found another interesting thing to chase instead.

Walking in a light trot, the big, innocent dark brown eyes followed the gentle movement of their prey. Its soft furry ears were perked up at full attention, the tail wagging lazily and eagerly behind it. Nevola jumped.

Kai stopped mid step, more in curiosity than in anything else. Looking behind him to see what exactly was wrong; he noticed the pup had chosen his scarf to latch itself onto. It looked up at him once it noticed he had stopped. The small tail wagged again as it bit down on the silky scarf once more.

Kneeling beside the amused baby wolf and sending a glare at Tyson, who was snickering at the sight, the slate haired teen reached out to try and free the scarf. A smaller hand reached it first. Looking up, two black and red curtains of silky tresses met his eyes, separated by tanned features of a certain Praeceptrix.

"Nevola, let that go." a low growl was her reply. Iris sweatdropped, "Ah come **on**, we don't have all day, you know?!"

"He doesn't seem to be in the mood to let go anytime soon..."

"Do tell, Shauna..." she muttered to herself, "Sure you don't just want to take it off and give it over to the little guy, Kai?"

"I'm quite sure I **don't**." said boy sent her a look.

The silliness of the situation was starting to get to her. A smile, which didn't hide just how much she wanted to fall to the ground and laugh her head off, curved her lips upwards, despite her inner turmoil towards him, "Well, what do you suppose we do? You'll carry it while Nevola munches away on your scarf or simply keep dragging them both?"

"You're aware you're not helping, right?" the bluenette glared at her. He reached over to the canine's muzzle.

As Nevola saw his hand approaching, it growled louder, its lips curling back to show the small, but sharp fangs. Unfazed, the boy got a good hold at the back of its jaws, pressing. With a painful whimper, the wolf let go after a few seconds, lying down and rubbing the sore spot against its front paws. Kai got up, "There. Done."

Shauna gasped. Walking up to him, she smacked him upside the head, much to everyone's surprise. "Don't you dare lifting even one hair to hurt him again!" picking up the small wolf, she got up, glaring at him meaningfully and almost stepping down on Ian's foot. Who was clever enough to keep his distance from the needle like talons that someone called high heels.

"His hair is already upswept though." Tyson spoke up happily as the blond girl passed by him. Most of the remaining bladers that didn't belong to the Dominatrix had just had a different vision of the seemingly calm and completely unaware of problems Shauna Lopes.

Kai was more annoyed than shocked at her demeanour; what she had done was nothing near what he called painful, but still she had no right to do that. Besides, it was the dog's fault. Or wolf. Or whatever.

The rest of them were clearly amused. The Demolition Boys, along with Tyson, were snickering openly, while Iris, still at his side, placed a hand over her cheery red lips, chuckling to herself, much like everyone else was doing. Cherry red indeed, she had been eating cherries, which they found in their way here. To say that it was downright **evil** to see her eat the sweet fruit was an understatement.

It had been hard to keep away from her. She was acting odd and he was still waiting to talk to her alone. She had been too much around her team lately and catching her alone was nearly impossible. Though he was sure she was teasing him.

"Shauna, do you still have more of those red cherries? They're sweeter than the black ones we have back in Portugal..."

"Yeah, here you go. But watch it, you remember what happened to Axel that day..."

"His own fault, he ate too much."

And the torture would soon begin...

The Tupperware with the little fruits was given to the raven haired girl, as she opened it, her tongue coming out to trace her upper lip distractedly. First stage of the torture, watching. Completed.

The lid was open as she pulled up one red, perfectly round cherry. She had the bad habit to choose the fruit, always going for the best, ending up scolded by her captain, not that she cared. Again, that tongue of hers would wet her bow shaped lips. Again, his teeth gritted at the sight.

Her tongue didn't withdraw that soon though. Almost teasingly, she licked the small cherry, eyes closing, before letting the sweet berry pass through her lips. Second stage, wanting but no touching. Completed.

Just as the second cherry was going to be put in her mouth, it was snatched from her by Tiffany.

"Hey!"

"You'll eat them all. Better snatch a few."

"And we're on schedule." Forest looked over at the piece of paper in her hands, then back at her watch. "We're a couple of minutes earlier. We did a good time."

"Ahhhh... Finally! A place to sit down!!!" Once they arrived to the clearing, the first thing Rui did was sit down on a nearby rock. As he was crossing one leg over the other, someone stopped him. "Hey, what-" Shauna chose that moment to sit comfortably on his lap.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Ah, no." A faint blush covered the boy's cheeks as he wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her balanced. "After all, you're light."

A mocking smirk crossed over Tiff's lips, "Isn't love such a sappy bullshit?"

The two remaining members of the team and Tiago gave her a look.

"Well, just because you never found anyone that you like doesn't mean love doesn't exist or something like that."

"Oh, but I'm sure it does, m'dear Axel. The fact is, I'm immune to it."

"Are you?" the black haired blader turned her head to glance over at her, "Then why did I hear you say that you **loved** that other guy's eyes? Because... Let me remember... Oh yes, you just **love** light eyes. Namely, teal coloured eyes."

The blonde chuckled, "Oh, come on, Iris. That may be so, but then again, what's the boy that wouldn't mind my attitude? That would only smile at what I do? Exactly, no one. Not even my bloody parents loved me, why would any of that be any different?"

She shrugged, "You have your whole life in front of you to find out." Her voice quietened, "Think I thought I simply loved Kai's looks or something? It took me some time to understand my feelings for him."

"You should be Group C, right?" They all looked over to their left, beyond the beystadium that was in the middle of the clearing where they were.

The girl who had spoken was tall, long dark curls moving softly in the light breeze as they tumbled down her back, one single ringlet over her right shoulder. Her skin glowed with a healthy, natural golden shine, kissed by the sun timeless occasions. "My name is Tânia. I'm Brazilian, and this is my team, the Dark Felines. We're from Group A, and will be your opponents."

Two more girls stepped forwards. The shortest girl was able to reach Axel's own height easily, her light brown hair pulled back into a perfect ponytail, which still reached almost to her waist. Like Tânia, her skin was just of the same complexion, the dark brown eyes a big contrast to the previous apple green ones. "I'm her younger sister, Libânia."

The third girl was an odd change, since she was the complete contrary of the others. Her skin seemed almost white in comparison to theirs, her light blond hair severely put into flawless thin braids, not a single strand of hair loose. "And I'm Gwen."

"Remember that time when you did that hair-do?" Iris commented suddenly.

"Hell yeah, I do." Tiffany ran a hand over her hair, tucking a couple of loose strands behind her ear, "How could I not? Never had such a strong head ache before."

"We are from Group C. I'm the captain of the Viscera Nigror, Tenebrae Rosa." Ten nodded over at her in greeting, "And you should be my opponent?"

Tânia nodded, "Yes, I am. Next will be my sister, then Gwen." At her words, the monitor above them blinked to life, showing the order of the battles, the photos of each of the Dark Felines members appearing soon after.

"After me, will be Forest and after her, Kironi." At their respective mention, both girls nodded. The other half of the monitor showed three more photos, each with the respective member of Ten's team.

Said girl climbed the three steps that led to the dish, "Should we get this over with, so that we can continue?"

Her opponent smirked lightly, "I like the way you think. To the point. That's good." She took her own position in the other side of the stadium. They both took out their launchers.

Only half listening to the joyful countdown made by Max, both beyblade's were released into the dish. As the grey beyblade landed squarely in the middle, Deathscythe landed in one of its sides, moving forwards and leaving behind a deep scrape. Not that her owner noticed.

Violet eyes didn't leave the grey top as it kept spinning, caught inside the dish the dark one was making, metal grinding against metal as it tried to escape. Her mind wasn't in the battle even if her concentration was in Deathscythe.

That grey beyblade. It directly made her remember Wolborg. And Wolborg obviously made her remember Tala. And Tala... brought a few memories that she didn't particularly want to remember of any time soon.

Her fists clenched as her orbs glazed over, the conversation, the accusations returning, as if she was listening them all over again. A different spark flashed across her hues, before snapping into attention again.

There was no need for an order. As her anger was directed towards the battle, Deathscythe's bit chip flashed once, just as a harsh clash was heard.

In the center of the dish, all that was left was the mangled pieces of a grey beyblade, being circled by a spinning black and silver one. A pale hand reached out to catch it in mid air, their owner descending the stairs and standing beside the two remaining members of her team, eyes downcast, brown locks covering her expression. A growl escaped her. She had let her anger take the better of her. And it was released in someone she had met barely five minutes ago.

Tânia looked over at her in surprise, anger mixing with fear in her eyes. Sliding down the concave side of the stadium, she quickly gathered what was left of her beyblade and walked away to stand behind her team-mates.

Her sister frowned lightly, taking her place almost right away. Taking out her launcher and placing her dark red beyblade on it, she glared over at Forest in a silent challenge.

Bright green eyes met chocolate brown ones head on as said girl brought out her emerald green blade, a dark light glowing softly from its chip, Lacuna eager to start the match.

The beyblade's met in the air, before landing in opposite sides of the dish. Continuing to spin in opposite directions, the grinding between them was minimal, but harsh.

Discreetly, Forest rolled her eyes. The other girl hadn't taken her eyes off Ten. All the anger that was shown in the battle, all that stamina, was because of the last battle. "Look here, girl, if you choose to hate my team now, it's your choice. But if you want to be more than just a mindless pawn, do not let someone's acts or emotions to represent your own moves, acts and emotions as well. If you hate, hate for your own reasons."

As Libânia blinked in confusion and even slight embarrassment for the sudden comment, a bright dark flash was seen, before something shot out into the branches of the trees, falling back beside her, fuming. Her top lay there, undamaged and unmoving.

"And now that this match is done and over with, we shall continue on our way while you go back." Kironi waved her hand dismissively, glancing over at the map in Axel's hands before starting to move in the correct direction, Nevola happily going after her, bored with the matches that had no interest to him. "We won two out of three, so no need for me to waste energy." Slowly, the rest of Group C followed, as the Dark Felines went back through the way they came.

Mariah and Ray smiled at each other before following their separate ways, holding hands for a brief moment.

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A gasp sounded in the middle of the quiet night.

Ten sat up straight, eyes wide and looking around her quickly. The movement beside her made her turn sharply towards it, the breath she was holding carefully let out. Kai had just moved, turning his back on her. Seemed to be asleep, or at least wanted her to think so. Good enough for her.

The tent she was at was a bit too small for her own boundless thoughts right now, and the air of it too warm, too humid. Not that there was any choice; the whole forest was much like that.

Careful with anything that might make any noise and wake up the teen still sleeping, she got out of the tent, closing her eyes as the slightly cold breeze passed by, tousling her hair.

Standing in the middle of the clearing they had found this time, she looked around. The small fire they had lit was now practically gone, only a few crimson sparks appearing now and then.

Every other tent was silent, much like her own had been, just the normal rustle of the sleeping bags once in a while.

Sighing quietly in relief at knowing that no one was around, the young woman turned to her side, facing a small path. Going through it, she soon arrived to a small creek not even five minutes later.

Since she hadn't brought her trainers in the first place, she was barefoot. Sitting down on the margin, she rolled up the hem of the black loose pants she used to sleep in. Slipping her feet in the cool water, her eyes drifted shut at the comfortable and relaxing feeling of it, tilting her head back and letting the moonlight hit her closed eyelids. Not that she was feeling it; only the bystander did notice that single detail.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?"

Her eyes snapped open at that, a startled gasp leaving her lips without her consent. Glancing around her and then up to the thick trees near the creek, violet met dark brown.

Axel looked down at her from the high branch he was sitting on, his shirt dangling from it. He lifted a hand in excuse, "Didn't mean to scare you, sorry."

"I wasn't expecting it, that's all." Ten pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her head on top. "What are you doing up there?"

"Couldn't sleep. Not yet. I don't fall asleep easily. Only if I'm exhausted. So, I just lie down to sleep around four in the morning."

"We get up at around half past six. That would mean you sleep barely two and a half hours?" a light brow eyebrow rose.

"Yeah, sort of. I mean, deep sleeping. When I'm out here, I just close my eyes and doze off. So, I get enough rest." The boy shrugged casually, jumping off the tree, his shirt in hand. The light golden colour of the skin of his torso paled as it was bathed by the silver moonlight. He stopped, standing beside her, "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all. Go right ahead." She smiled softly. Said smile didn't reach her eyes though.

The older teen furrowed his eyebrows lightly, before sitting down. "Is something bothering you? Or should I say someone."

Her eyes looked away from him, "It's nothing."

"That's exactly what Iris or Tiff would say if something was indeed wrong." Seeing that she still didn't look at him, Axel looked up at the star kissed sky instead, "Though I can read that in your expressions."

A quiet sob reached his ears. Looking away from the sky and back at her, his own sadness was being ticked off at the sight of her shoulders hunched in a defeated way, the twinkling light of her tears falling to the pale green grass only triggering his own.

"Ten?" he raised a hesitant hand, resting it over her shoulder, "Ten, what's wrong?" her head lifted a fraction, her fringe letting him see just enough of her eyes, sadness written in them as the tears kept falling.

Her voice was a mere cracking whisper, "Everything. Everything's wrong now." As he opened his arms to hold her, she rested her head on his shoulder, hiding the tears, all the sadness, all the pain, at the crook of his neck.

Axel just held her, a few of his own tears rolling down his cheeks to fall from his chin and into her hair, one hand stroking her back comfortingly, while whispering words he knew she didn't understand, yet sounded right. The way he whispered them seemed to be calming the flow of her tears.

Taking a deep breath, the girl finally pulled back, "Sorry for that... I was just..."

"Nervous?"

_For lack of a better word..._ "Guess you could say that." Her eyes dropped to the ground.

"It's alright. I know the feeling." One finger tilted her head back up, making her eyes meet his once more.

"Feeling?" her hues closed as few more tears fell, "What, the feeling of being betrayed like that? Of being raped?"

A pang of guilt was felt in his chest, his breathing hitching on its way into his lungs. Unconsciously, his grip on her waist tightened, "Raped?" his own memories started to come back to him. Memories of a once innocent black haired girl, who returned a couple of years later, that childish shine in her eyes extinct forever. All with a single emotionless sentence, 'They killed my sister in front of me, then I was raped'.

"Not like that." Her soft voice made him look back at her now opened eyelids, "It just felt... as if it was real. That was the reason why I couldn't sleep. In my dream, I was... raped..."

Relief washed over him at hearing her, "If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears. That's what friends are for."

At that, she cracked a small smile. Small, but at least not fake. "Leaving out the gory details, Tala raped me. I know it's stupid of me to break down because of a dream, but it-"

"-felt real. I know." His voice had lowered to a whisper. He'd probably let his anger take the better of him if he spoke any louder. The last thing he needed was for everyone to wake up. And he seriously doubted he could keep his cool if he saw Ivanov anywhere near him right now. His arms pulled her closer, making a faint blush cover Ten's cheeks. "You ok?"

"Been better." Her violet eyes looked back into his, "But before you found me, I was worse."

"Glad I was able to help. After I scared you like that." A soft smile played on his lips. One hand reached up, brushing the tear streaks away from her face, "You shouldn't be crying over someone who doesn't feel the same way about you."

"Right, the expert on love problems, huh..." the tensed muscles of her shoulders relaxed partially.

A light blush made its way to his cheeks, "It's not like that..." he looked away in embarrassment. "I'm just warning you. I know it's not my job to do so, but-" Axel interrupted himself. He shouldn't go that far; Ten didn't deserve that.

"But?" one of her hands rested over his gently, her other reaching up to turn his chin towards her again, locking her eyes with his, not letting him look away.

At the sight of her innocently curious hues, his own softened, "But I have... feelings for you." All that that sentence would do would be confusing her and complicating things even more. But she was the one who pressed... and he doubted that, if he didn't say that now, he never would.

The hand still resting upon his chin was slowly lowered. Her lips parted in surprise and her eyes blinked once or twice, still looking into his.

A few agonizing moments passed by, which weren't more than a couple of seconds. She finally turned away, the locks of her hair preventing him from seeing her eyes. That movement alone was enough to let him know he should have kept quiet. The familiar pain in his chest returned, haunting, teasing, mocking. He had been too sudden, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

A slender finger was placed over his lips, quietening him. "Shut up and kiss me." Not waiting for his reply or move, she leaned in herself, letting their lips brush over each other ever so lightly, before kissing him gently.

Her acceptance, hence, her move was sudden, unexpected and because of it, Axel found himself responding to the kiss rather gauchely. Though he could also put the blame on the fact that he had not kissed a girl for a long time. Their eyes drifted shut almost at the same time and before they knew it, it had ended.

Pulling back, she hesitantly rested her head on his shoulder, smiling as his arms wrapped around her petite frame in the same way. Could she? Say what she wanted so much to say after all this time?

"I love you." His own softly whispered words, as hesitant as she had been, brought her out of her thoughts. Guess he had beaten her to it.

"I love you too." She whispered back just as softly. His hold on her tightened slightly, pulling her close to him, a small smile playing on his lips. In the comforting silence that ensued, he could finally say he was happy. And so could she.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Two pairs of bright light eyes watched the touching scene with a mischievous glint in their eyes.

"Pah, I knew it!!! Axel juuuust needed a small push et voilá!" Tiffany beamed, starry eyed, "Luckily, tomorrow we won't train much!! Oh, happy day!"

Chuckling, Rui shook his head, raking a hand through his messy blonde bangs next, brushing them away from his eyes, "So you did woke him up every time he was about to fall asleep?"

"Yup!"

"Riiight... Don't you dare say I was your accomplice!" he snickered nevertheless as they left the two older teens behind, undisturbed, "Ok, so let's see. One more couple to go, right, comadre?"

"Hmm... One?" turquoise eyes looked over at him sideways, "Dunno 'bout that, no... But we'll put Mr. Sourpuss and Miss Ice Queen together again, me promises." _And of course, we'll join Mr. Playboy here and Miss Beauty as well..._ "After all, it was a damn misunderstanding. Mainly my fault."

"Not only. They're both proud, won't just say 'I'm sorry, it was all my fault!'..."

"Course not, Rui." A smirk curved her lips, "But hey... I'm **the** Stealth Matchmaker, aren't I? The couples never ever suspect a thing. This won't be any different. They're head over heels, downright in love with each other, but too proud to say so. That obstacle will soon be neutralized!!!" as she laughed, the boy dragged her along, sweatdropping.

"Alright, that's it... No more chocolate for you as dessert."

"Aww."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Okie... Now, all you have to do is grab that silky looking white scarf you caught that other day, pull it and drag it along till the black haired mean looking girl. Got it?"

Nevola tilted his head to the side, blinking at the weird girl in front of him, one ear up and the other turned to the side.

"Err, Tiff?"

"Shh!!! Ok, boy, what if you did it for a treat, huh? How's that?"

The white furry ears perked up at that, both turning their full attention to the blonde with the odd glint in her eyes. Tail wagging from side to side at the word 'treat', the wolf got up from being lied down.

"Nuh, hu huh!" dark eyes blinked again, the tail stopping for a moment and lowering, "Only if you do what I said!" Tiffany gave a look to the animal at her feet, who in return laid back down after a while. The girl sighed, "Meh, it's no use..."

"How can you expect Nevola to do that?" Rui downright laughed, earning a glare, "I mean, he's a wolf, for crying out loud!!"

"Wolfs are smarter than dogs! More intelligent too!" her arms crossed over her chest as she quirked an eyebrow at said wolf, curled up in himself, resting peacefully, "Or that's what I read about them..."

"They might, sure, but you can't expect him to understand everything you say. However, when you say 'treat'..." Nevola lifted his head sharply, looking at him immediately. The boy grinned, taking a bit of his sandwich and throwing it in the air, making the canine get up and catch it in midair, eating happily. Rui petted his furry head playfully, taking back his hand at the warning growl, "He understands it, because Shauna said it many times before. First, you need to show him what you want him to do, saying out loud **what** you're doing. Then, with time, he'll do it as well."

The blonde blinked, "But... That takes **way** too long!!!" both Nevola and Rui looked up at her, "I can't take it anymore with those two! I mean, their attraction can't be more obvious... And knowing Kai's available right now it's making me crazy."

The playboy laughed again, "Come **on**! Can't your mind concentrate on anything else other than 'you'?! And your... err, 'needs'."

"That Bryan guy is a nice treat for my eyes." She grinned sheepishly. Nevola jumped into her lap, licking her cheek, "No, no! Down, get down! I said treat for my eyes, not for you! Sheesh..."

At hearing twigs snap and bushes being pushed aside, three pairs of eyes blinked. Just as the wolf was going to jump off and investigate, his curiosity picking, Tiff wrapped both arms around him, whispering, "You stay put and be quiet!" both teens slowly got up, the girl taking out an elastic and putting it on Nevola's muzzle, making him growl in indignation.

She put him down gently, smirking as he didn't even mind them, occupied on prying off the annoying thing forbidding him to open his jaws and sniff right.

"Tiff, this might be the chance you're looking for." Rui whispered quietly, nodding towards the direction of all the rustle.

Blinking, the girl knelt beside him, peeking through the foliage. There, between the thick trees, standing in a small clearing, were Kai and Iris, glaring daggers at each other vehemently.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Iris was sweating with the simple effort of keeping her temper in check. Her hands clenched and unclenched by her sides as she was absently aware that Lugiohan's bit chip was glowing in the restraint of her necklace, the skin of her upper chest warming up somewhat uncomfortably.

Congratulations, give the boy a prize, for he had done it again! **How**, she couldn't possibly understand, but he managed to push every single one of her buttons in just the right way to make her want to scream out loud in sheer frustration. And that was very unlike Iris's usually calm demeanour.

««Flashback»»  
A round bright red cherry was held between her thumb and forefinger, literally begging her to eat it and taste the sweet, sweet juice the silvery blue hues knew was inside the velvet soft scarlet peel.

Pale lips, compared with the vivid red of the berry, brushed over it, enjoying the petal like sensation, before her tongue did the same. And suddenly, the sugary treat was snatched from her grasp. "What the-?" glancing over at the responsible, almost expecting to find turquoise orbs shining mischievously, her now polished silver stare locked with mahogany ones. Cloudy mahogany orbs. Instead of giving in to the fear of that kind of look from a boy, her eyebrows furrowed. "What's your problem?"

Kai simply looked at her in silence for some minutes, before the longing look from before vanished, replaced by cold indifference. He held up the red cherry in question. "This is." And with that said, the cherry was popped into his own mouth.

For a moment, her eyes were drawn to his lips. A full lower lip, bow shaped and a discreetly thinner upper lip, from which he could either kiss her senseless or hurt her in the most painful way. And once she blinked, the moment was lost.

At the back of her mind, she perfectly knew she was being downright childish. Yet, another part of her told her he started it. She wondered if she was thinking like a five year old after all these years. "That was **mine**, you know?"

"That was pissing **me** off, you know?" the former cloudy look in her eyes vanished almost immediately.

"And why should I even care?" an ache she had forced herself to ignore returned as her ears heard her own words. Actually hearing the truth was much harder than simply accepting it in her own mind and she was paying dearly for that.

The slate haired teen opened his mouth, only to close it again. He wouldn't say it, there was no reason to say it **now**. "You shouldn't." he replied quietly instead, his eyes turning away from her.

_I just wish I could say I really didn't..._ "Then please do enlighten me. If I shouldn't care, why did you take the cherry?"

From the outside of the childish argument, Axel blinked once in a while, eyebrows raised. Well, maybe the idea of having stopped here wasn't so great after all. Both the Viscera Nigror and the Demolition Boys would have another combat soon and both teams were now off training. Ever since the stupidity of the arguing had started rising in volume and tension, the older boy had put his book away, accepting he wouldn't be able to read in peace right now. And along the whole year he had been with the black haired girl, not once had the thought that she would have such an immature conversation crossed his mind.

He sighed deeply. The idea of having them both together suddenly sounded oh so much more appealing than having them constantly bickering. Though should he even intervene? Alright, by the mischievous look he caught from Tiffany, the blonde was definitely up to something, but the portuguese captain did not have her attributes, nor did he want them.

"I just did. End of discussion."

As he suddenly turned his back to her, the girl fought back the urge to trip him or do something she would regret later on. Whatever her clouded logical mind wanted to do, Kai would surely find a way to avoid it; as much as she hated to admit, she wasn't all that strong physically, at least not compared to him. Her light eyes scanned the area around them, noticing Axel. Another point to ruin her reputation... A quiet involuntary growl escaped her throat, "This is far from being over and I want to get on with it as soon as possible." Taking a few stiff steps, she stopped right in front of him. Looking right into his eyes and then at Axel, her hues rested on him again.

His own eyes rebelled against his will as they did the same movement hers did. Rolling his eyes, he turned to his left as she followed.

Taking out his book once more, Axel gave them a weird look. _There's definitely something wrong with those two whenever they're together... _Rolling his eyes, he restarted reading. _But at least, they had the decency of arguing elsewhere and leaving me to read in peace and quiet._

After a few minutes of walking, the Russian boy finally stopped, turning to her, not looking in the least pleased, eyes flashing in annoyance.  
««End Flashback»»

And so, here they were. Shouldn't they get a prize for screaming at each other at the first chance they got? That simply **had** to be a record.

"So tell me, what harm have **I** done to you for you to always annoy me so damn much?" she forced out the words from between her gritted teeth, her patience getting thinner and thinner as one slate eyebrow lifted almost mockingly.

"That should be the stupidest question you made ever since I know you." The sheer anger mixed with the shock his words had was almost laughable. Almost. "You're the one taking wrong conclusions." Ignoring that she opened her mouth to speak, he continued, "You doubted me after I told you everything. You know exactly what I'm risking when I accepted my feelings for you. And just because that blonde friend of yours decides she should talk to me first because she doesn't trust me to be with you, you think I'm actually cheating on you?"

At the small pause, Iris actually thought his words over. Oh, come **on**. What should she think when they had just gotten together again?! "Kai, it was kind of obvious-"

"But it wasn't the truth." He rolled his eyes, "What do you expect of me anyway? Telling you everywhere I go so that you're sure I'm not off snogging someone else? Be there by your side every second of the day?" his head tilted subtly to the side as the boy frowned, "Stop acting like the poor innocent victim all the time. The anthropocentrism died years ago, or did all your problems cover such a fact for you?"

Her lips were parted, though this time, it wasn't because she wanted to say something. Quite the contrary in fact, she had no idea what to say. If it was a somewhat normal situation, she would've blushed at the thought she had thought only of herself. She blinked, looking away at catching a glint of hurt in his eyes. Whether he was showing it to make her feel guilty or if it was simply a distraction of his part, she never knew, but it was doing its job anyway.

"I may be considered a loner, and people usually keep away from me mostly because I simply ignore them all. But despite all that, I wouldn't lie to you in such a way." His feet entered her filed of vision as she ever so slowly looked up, losing herself in his eyes, "I never acted the way you're acting towards me, and I seriously don't know why are you so worried about all this lately. I may not agree with all your decisions, but I never acted coldly to you, did I?"

The tip of her tongue wetted her dry lips as she whispered a soft "No." the ghostly touch of his hand over the gentle curve of her waist was felt in a heartbeat's time, her skin aching for more. A tilt of her hips and one step onwards later, they were barely an inch apart, "I'm sorry." Her eyebrows relaxed, as the corners of her lips curved upwards in the softest of smiles, "I'll try not to annoy you so much. I'll do it to Ian or maybe Tyson instead." The hint of his smirk made that smile of hers grow warmly, "But as you know..." one eyebrow rose at her in question, followed by the other as her hand got a gentle hold of his scarf, her soft breathing felt on his lips, "You're not my captain. Therefore, I'm not from your team, correct?" if it was possible, her lips drew even nearer to his own, still managing not to touch them. Not pausing to let him answer, she continued, "And I have a tournament to win. Which, if I want that to be accomplished, you need to lose, logically."

Her breathing hitched in her throat as he moved his head ever so lightly, causing his lips to brush over hers, "If you think I'd back up just for that, you'll be very disappointed. I'll do what it takes to win, and if I have to battle you, so be it. And mark my words, I won't go soft if that does happen."

"I hope you don't mind if I think the same thing, then." She let her lips trace the line of his jaw, her upper lip almost touching his, almost, "And no more fighting this, yes?"

"As amusing as it was to play around with your mind," his lips quirked in a satisfied smirk at her frown, "I agree it was becoming stupid quite fast."

"Nice choice." A dazzling smile lit her features, the angered glint in her hues giving way to a subtly hidden feeling, a feeling he reciprocated, "Now shut the hell up and kiss me."

A light grin crossed his own lips, just before they were captured by her own, hands fisting on clothing or tangling in silky hair, the space between both their bodies suddenly gone.

Both of them were completely (and rather blissfully to both parts) unaware of the two amused turquoise and blue/green pairs of eyes.

They say a very thin line separates Love from Hate. Though in this case, did it really exist? Somehow, that expression didn't sound so logic anymore...

...TBC...


	8. Seek My Eyes

**Dark: 3rd & last one. Plz read & review. **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 8... Seek My Eyes  
**  
A black and silver beyblade was clenched tightly in a slender pale hand, a single trickle of blood trailing down from in between the middle and index fingers, one by one, the drops falling silently to the bright green grass below, tainting it from its innocent colour.

Violet orbs stopped glaring at a nearby speck of a trunk to look back at the piece of paper clenched in her hand.

Match:  
**Viscera Nigror** _vs._ **Demolition Boys**

Location:  
**Four miles away  
**  
Date:  
**23rd July, 16.00  
**  
Right, it was still there. Did she really think it would change if she turned away for a bit? Umm, not really. It had just been a shock at first.

««Flashback»»  
"Now, of course that you are a group, still you'll act as individual teams."  
««End Flashback»»

Oh right. Double meaning on that single sentence from the host of the tournament. Train individually because, sooner or later, teams of the same group would battle. It was actually obvious... They had two days to train. _At least that. _

Not far from her, a not very different reaction was having its effects on a certain red haired captain. A copy of the same notice was held from his fingers, blue eyes unfocusedly looking at the words there written. So they were going to battle. Would he even be able to battle normally against her? Not once had he raised a finger to hurt her before or really wanted to win in a bey-battle, but right now, he couldn't say if he still thought that way. It was all too... different, now. _Nothing seems to be the same anymore. Once, it was all so simple.._

««Flashback»»  
"Yuriy!"

The soft footfalls stopped, their owner turning around. The pained look on the turquoise blue hues was quickly replaced by a forced smile and softening of features. A younger version of Tala tried to stand up straight, leaning against a nearby wall for support. Just as quickly, the child pulled away, the cool feeling of the wall on the newly formed wounds nice to be felt, but certainly not the pressure.

A young girl walked up to him, her soft smile slowly fading. Her eyebrows furrowed lightly, "Are you feeling alright?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine." He blinked at her once, keeping himself steady for the time being. But he still needed to master how to hide his emotions.

"You're pale. Paler than usual at least. I was going to ask you to be my training partner, but you don't look very well." Ten glanced over at him up and down, taking in his visible effort to be standing, "Shouldn't you rest?"

Unnoticeably, his breathing hitched in his throat at the mention of training. _It was all because of it. Because I wasn't strong enough._ The thoughtful look on his features was gone in a blink of an eye as the boy put the physical pain to the back of his head, "Nah. Besides, if I'm not your partner, no one can be. I'm one of the few people who can match you in power, speed and endurance, remember?" two steps later and the whole façade didn't take long to disappear. Letting out a quiet hiss of pain, his arm held onto the wall shakily.

Concern and anger immediately crossed the other's eyes, "You really aren't able to lie to me, you know..." said anger ebbed away as no come back sounded from the red haired boy. Gently tugging on his arm, she made him sit down on the cold floor, her worry growing as he both tried to keep away from the wall and to put no pressure on his side. "Let me see." Her small hand carefully lifted the hem of his shirt as she pulled it up, feeling it slightly damp. A look at her fingers put her curiosity to rest as she saw them coated in blood. Fire shined in her hues, her voice a mere whisper, "Why did he do it this time?" This time... So many had already passed, and many, many more were yet to come.

"I was late. He called me to his office, but I was showering, I couldn't get there in two minutes, right..." gentle fingers prodded at the deep gash, his eyes closing tight.

A warm hand, so, so warm compared to his cold skin, rested over his arm. "Don't worry." Just her voice was enough to make him distracted from the pain, "One day..." the determination was clearly shining in her light narrowed eyes, "We'll run away. Far, far away till they won't find us. Then, we can battle and train and become stronger, without fearing they'll torture us. I swear. I swear, Yuriy, that day isn't that far away."  
««End Flashback»»

The glazed over, half lidded blue eyes snapped to attention once more, the memory disappearing. Almost against his will, he turned to look over at the Russian girl. Her back was facing him, her own piece of paper held tightly from her fingers. Somehow, he knew she was just trying to act calmly. The news of having to battle her team, of having to battle **her**, wouldn't be the only thing to be shocked at. Of that, he was sure.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Two teens sat up straight at the blood curling scream. Tiffany held out her lighter, flicking it on, a quiet growl escaping her, "Whoever dares waking me up at 5am will surely **die**!!"

The black haired girl beside her swatted her upside the head, "I think that whoever screamed is in trouble, so stop thinking of only yourself, for once." Picking up a nearby lantern, she opened their tent, stepping outside.

"Put that thing down, I don't intend on getting blind anytime soon..." Tala's familiar voice sounded just in front of her, who happened to be passing as the bright light hit him, his arm coming up to shield his eyes.

"What's with the screaming, wolfie?" the blonde girl joined them, yawning, seemingly not caring that she was only in a pair of boxers and a sports bra.

The similar turquoise eyes flashed in indignation, "That girly blond haired friend of yours. And keep the nicknames to yourself."

"Whatever you say, fur-ball." Downright ignoring the death glare the Russian boy was giving her, she walked towards the other tents, "And if you're not worked up, then I guess it's nothing serious after all." Suddenly, she paused, "And then again, I dunno, do cyborgs even act like us and feel the things we do?"

A deadly calm glint ebbed into the captain's light eyes. His stare changed to Iris, who found herself in between them and clearly looking uncomfortable. Locking eyes with him, she tried whatever she could do to reassure him she had said nothing. The emotionless pair of hues flashed, turning to the other girl, who was now a couple of feet away, already starting to walk away. Tala let out a low growl, turning on his heels sharply and walking back, past Iris. The latter sighed, following the other teen.

As they both reached the other three tents in the other side of the clearing, they found the others, around a very freaked out Shauna and Rui standing to the side, trying hard not to laugh, it seemed.

Iris quirked a dark eyebrow, "Do I even want to know?"

"You mean you didn't guess yet?" Axel said in a mock serious tone, sending a disbelieving tone to the trembling beauty that was now turning her amber brown eyes in every direction as if she was trying to find something, "Come on, the usual spider-"

"It wasn't a bloody spider, it was a centipede!!" Shauna immediately raised her arm, smacking his own rather sharply, making her captain let out a surprised "Oww!" as he absently rubbed the spot.

"I **knew** I should've gone to a clairvoyant career!!" Tiff snapped her fingers, her voice adopting a mocking, but very convincing disappointed tone. "I mean, I did predict bugs would crawl up your legs while you were asleep, and all, ne?" at the paling of the other blonde's face, the girl snickered quietly, making Rui do the same as well, not taking it any longer.

After clearing his throat and composing himself, the latter wrapped a secure arm around Shauna's narrow waist, pulling her against his chest, not that she seemed to mind the fact, "So yeah. Tala just gave Shauna a weird look and walked off, Ten also came by and already went, same with Kai. Kironi rolled her eyes, Max patted her back and I doubt Tyson even woke up."

"That last part is rather typical." An amused smile quirked Iris's lips, "Anyway, if that's all-"

"If that's all? IF THAT'S ALL?! There are **hundreds** of creepy disgusting bugs like that one out there!!" while the two remaining girls sweatdropped at Shauna's over exaggerated reaction, the boys, who happened to be behind the blonde, snickered silently among themselves.

"Err, good night, Shauna. Just... sleep closer to Rui or something." biting back a giggle, Iris started walking away, back to her own tent, soon followed by Tiff.

"Yeah, g'night. Oh, and the grasshoppers and the mantis like lettuce, you know?"

"Shut it!!!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««Dream»»  
It hurt to think. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to exist.

The fingers on his right hand flexed ever so slightly, pain immediately shooting through his arm, making him close his eyes tighter. Muffled voices sounded here and there as he slowly opened his eyelids half way.

"His heart beat is dropping."

For a few seconds in vain, he tried to focus his blurry vision, finally succeeding. A few people moved here and there, beyond a teal coloured mass. Teal?

"We're losing him, sir. If we-"

"I'm the one responsible for this project and no one but me tells you what to do!" an angry, deeper voice sounded, making his head ache. He knew that one... "I know he's ready, he has been trained for this. Project Alpha 98749 will live. And it will be perfect." The dark blur of a large palm was suddenly right in front of him. Whatever the liquid he was in had in its chemical composition, all it was doing was hurting his sight, sore as it seemed to be. He chose to close his eyes instead. A feeling of light headedness started to be felt at the back of his mind, the breaths he took forced in and out of his lungs, the beating of his heart getting shallow. "Inject him now."

"But sir, he had a dose not even an hour ago and it's supposed to have a break of five hours. He won't bear another shot so soon-"

"Do as I say or the boy won't be the only one dying tonight!"

Not five seconds after, turquoise orbs snapped open, a sharp intake of breath given. In the after effects of the shot of adrenaline and whatever else the substance had, his muscles tingled at the sudden feeling rushing through them, his vision somewhat focusing in mere seconds. Scientists. Scientists everywhere. Dread started to spread through his body, making his heartbeat quicken more than it should. The Investigations and Development Wing. The question was, what the hell was he doing here?

Just as soon as the shock from the dose had passed, an odd sense of drowsiness seemed to take over, his mind fogging. His heavy eyelids closed completely, his whole body becoming a dead weight, sustained by whatever it was that was holding him there.

"I'll let you sleep... For now. But the next time you wake up, you will start your training for real... Cyber Tala."

"Sir, there is a break in the security system-"

"**NO**!"  
««End Dream»»

In the darkness of the night, the regular rustling of blankets was suddenly replaced by a sharp intake of breath, a teen sitting up straight almost immediately.

Tala glanced to the side, making sure Bryan was still sound asleep, before letting out the shaking breath he had been holding. The boy suppressed a shiver as a drop of sweat rolled down his back. Calming his breathing and heartbeat, he returned to the warmth of the blankets, pulling them up to almost his nose.

It wasn't the first time he had that dream. Memory. But that last part, it had never happened. It was definitely a female's voice, of that he was sure. Still, there weren't many girls at the Abbey, not that he was aware of, and he had been there ever since he was about three, four years old. Girls... Well, there was Ten, then came Iris. Once in a while, he caught sight of another girl, but that was all. And never the talking was that detailed, he only had heard words here and there, nothing else. Only the pain was clear as day. Was that a good or bad thing?

Meh, who cares... He let out a quiet huff, throwing the pillow to the side and getting into a more comfortable position, lying on his back. Later that day, everything might change drastically in every aspect. He needed to forget about everything else and rest for now. The stupid dreams of his past could wait. What was the hurry anyway? They already happened...

...Didn't they?

"The past sometimes repeats itself." The murmured words escaped his lips before he could stop them. Heh, he had no idea who had been the first to tell him those: if Ten, if Iris. Ten did it in a spiteful way at the time, while Iris hugged herself and looked away fearfully. Obviously, they meant it in a completely different way, though it didn't make the words have a less significant meaning...

...Or were they really all that different?

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««Dream»»  
**Crack**

Another long crimson slash on the pale alabaster skin appeared among all the other crisscrossing thin white scars, the young child's muscles tensing, before relaxing again, aching after doing those two single motions time and time again. 

Crack

**  
**The sharp ivory canines dug deeply into the full, now red, bottom lip, a thin trickle of blood flowing down the corner of his mouth steadily, down the chin, each drop splashing into the cool white marble of the floor, stained with an ever growing pool of blood and sweat. But no tears, not a single one. Never tears, never. That would be a weakness. And if someone had a weakness, they wouldn't live for much longer there, that was a well known fact. **  
**

**Crack **

Young dark mahogany hues watched, unaffected at the first glance, the smallest hint of sympathy glinting subtly in their depths, masked by repulsion, "Why are you punishing him for?"

The horrid sound stopped, a last quiet cracking sounding as the whip fell to the floor. "He needs to learn his place, young Kai." The man's silky voice spoke up in the almost silent room, the only other sound was the slightly faster breathing of the redhead kneeling down on the floor, his arms wide apart and cuffed at the wrists.

"And what did he do exactly?"

Behind the specs, Boris frowned lightly, "That is useless information." Almost tenderly, he picked up the long, bloodied whip, glancing down at the slate haired boy a few feet away, passing him the item, "I expect to see blood on the floor when I get back." Not even a minute later, the soft click of the door was heard.

The bluenette's eyes moved to the bare-chested boy, a few mere feet between them. The only sign that assured him he was alive was the soft movement of his back as he breathed. The whip cracked loudly in the room, echoing in a way that left unspoken threats in the air.

The silence grew afterwards, until soft quiet footsteps sounded. Ever so slightly, Tala lifted his head, looking over his shoulder with difficulty. Electric blue locked with deep reddish brown.

Kai looked right back at him, almost as if seeing right past him, eyes impassive. The fingers wrapped around the whip loosened, letting it fall carelessly. That same hand reached into one pocket, taking out a dagger.

It might have been beautiful, something to be awed at. The blade, sharp, deadly, yet impeccable and of such a silver colour one could mistaken it by white. The hilt was of a rich black velvety colour, what seemed like ruby beads here and there, a single sapphire on the end of it. At every angle, it twinkled gently to the light, shining enticingly. But the sight of it in a moment like this left little doubts to the Wolborg's Holder. The young pale hues hardened even more, if such an act was possible.

And just as suddenly, they widened. Blood dripped down the crystal clear blade, mixing with the rest of the red liquid in which he knelt on right then. Slowly, tenderly, the other boy lifted the blade away from his own wrist, a flicker of pain flashing in his eyes for a fraction of a second. Changing the angle of his stare, his eyes locked with the confused pair of blue ones, the question "Why?" perfectly clear in them.

"He said he wanted to see blood on the floor by the time he got back. He never specified whose blood it had to be." His voice sounded distant, even to his own ears, not that he cared much. "There has been enough blood shed as it is." Pocketing the knife, his other hand was placed tightly against the newly formed wound. With that said, he turned around on his heel, exiting the room.

As he glanced up, Kai realised he had entered the wrong corridor. This wasn't the way to his dorms. Actually, he had never really been here. _Why is it this dark anyway?_

Every torch was unlit, and the nearest light was a couple of feet away, on the floor. _On the floor? Why would they put light on the floor and not on the walls or ceiling like they usually do?_ Lifting a light blue eyebrow at the seemingly infinite candles, he kept walking, his curiosity picking. The slight pain of his wrist was easily ignored now that the first minutes had passed.

A new feeling was growing inside of him as he kept walking farther into the darkening halls. One that he didn't feel very often, just in the heat of an intense battle.

Adrenaline. Anxiety.

And wherever he was heading, there was something out there that was responsible for it. His head tilted to the side, an absent smile of his features. He wanted, no, he needed to find out whatever it was. His fingers were itching to touch such a powerful thing, such a-

**:: Greetings, youngling. I was expecting you. ::**

The child gasped at hearing the new voice in his head. Something about it just clearly screamed evil.

"What are you doing here?"

His blood ran cold at the sound of the deep, and not all that happy, sounding voice. Slowly, but surely, the boy turned around to look at the adult, who was glaring down at him, the unknown voice partially gone. He had to choose his words carefully.

"And what happened to your arm?"

"The whip. I never held one before, I hurt myself by mistake." Barely noticing so, the lie seeped through his lips, "I was heading to my room, I must've got mistaken on the way."

Boris said nothing for a long while, each passing second making the child want to shrink away from those piercing eyes, "Glad you weren't heading for the Infirmary, boy. That's a fairly small scratch to be treated with great care. Within two hours, I want you ready for your training session. And do not be late." Turning around, he started walking away.

Before following the elder, the deep mahogany hues glanced over his shoulder, into the darkness of the hall. He could've sworn the far away lights wavered for a second right then.

Little did he know those couple of seconds were all Black Dranzer needed to seduce him into the dark side.  
««End Dream»»

Dark eyes slowly opened half way, the odd dream lingering in his mind. That was strange. The boy turned around, now facing the brunette at his side, barely a foot away.

A look at the cloth of the tent told him it was still dark outside; far too early to get up and far too in the night to have a proper sleep now. Usually he'd wake up by himself, that was true, but not this soon. Maybe it had something to do with the dream? Possibly...

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««Dream»»  
Wide eyes looked around her, scared and confused. Where the hell was she?

Everything was... Hold it, scratch that. Everything? There was **nothing** here!

No trees, no grass, no bright blue sky or a moonless star lit night sky. Nothing. A void. There was only a black thing, a grey fog that made her shiver and whatever she was stepping on, it was liquid. _What is this place?_

"Greetings, little one."

Gasping, Iris turned around, still seeing nothing, but knowing that was certainly not her imagination. "Who's there? Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Such questions will be soon answered. Very soon."

Her patience was getting thinner and thinner, "What do you want from me?"

Pause.

"Everything."

Unconsciously, she took a step back. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Too many questions, child... But I agree to answer you one. Just one. Choose your question wisely." By the way he/she was sounding, they sure seemed amused by all this.

_I hate riddles like this..._ Her dark eyebrows narrowed, "What is this place? It's certainly not the forest I was on."

An eerie chuckle, "Oh, but it is. This nothingness, this... void, is that lush forest you were in. The ground is blood, yes." She tensed up at that, becoming pale, "And this... why, how do you say it? Ah ita... The Armageddon. And I assure you, Praeceptrix... It is very, very near now..."  
««End Dream»»

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"I had the strangest dream last night." Tyson commented, hands behind his head, while walking. They should be close to the spot of the next match.

"Really? Mine sure wasn't much better..." Max yawned quietly, "What happened?"

"Well, the Armageddon!" at that sentence, a certain black haired girl looked up, interested.

"You dreamt with the end of the world?"

"Yeah! There was no food left!!" at that, everyone rolled his or her eyes.

"Well, I dreamt I was at my mother's funeral." The usually hyper blonde suppressed a shiver, "Eerie..."

Two more hours passed by, and before they knew it-

"Ouch!!" Tyson tumbled over the edge of the bey-dish without noticing, which was just a depression in the ground, ending up sprawled on it on his stomach, "I bit my tongue!!!"

-they were there. Almost as if reading each other's thoughts, Ten and Tala looked up, their eyes inevitably locking. Just as fast, they turned away.

"The order for the Viscera Nigror Team will be Tenebrae Rosa, Kironi Ngo and Forest Romano." As it recognized the names, the monitor up above blinked, showing the correct order. It did just the same with the Demolition Boys' turn, first Tala, then Bryan and finally Spencer.

White and blue trainers crushed the tender emerald strands of the grass below, stopping one or two feet away from the deep wide depression in front of them. It had a good 6'5 feet of diameter and sharp rocks were spread everywhere, giving it a dangerous and labyrinth-like aspect. The violet eyes looked away from the uneven battlefield, locking with the electric blue hues of her opponent. Her opponent, a person she had once held so close to her heart, only to disappoint her in the most horrible of ways.

The Russian captain looked back at her, launcher in hand. Nothing in his posture, his features, told anyone his true feelings, what was going through his head. And that was just the way he wanted it. If the others had no idea about the outcome of this battle, neither did he. He didn't consider himself stronger than the girl standing in front of him and the same went for her. Their style, their strategies were very alike; after all, they did train together for a long time when they had been younger.

Deathscythe was the Angel of Death, her element was Darkness.

Wolborg was the Ice Wolf, element ice.

Technically, and having in base only those qualities, she had the advantage. Any bit beast that relied on Darkness or Shadow were the strongest ones. The rarest and most dangerous, but the strongest.

But then again, Tala was everything but weak. In a match, it was one of the few perks that came along with being part cyborg; he knew not how it was to get nervous any more. In situations of pressure, he could think clearly as if he had just had a nice breakfast and started his day. This was no different.

In a battle, he'd analyse his adversary, see if they were strong or not, their element, their moves. Then, it was simple to block them, to predict their next move, even the level of power they were about to use. And for that, he had an excellent memory.

Doing that to Deathscythe was more natural to him than breathing. Clearing that up, they both had a nice chance of wining.

"'k, you two ready?" Max spoke up happily, stepping up and putting his arm up, "3, 2, 1! Let it RIP!!!"

Both beyblade's landed in two different rocks, said rocks giving way to the force of them not long after. Once at the same level, the tops inevitable grinded against each other, sending sparks everywhere, before separating and circling along the edge of the makeshift stadium.

The redhead shook his head to clear it. _I need to concentrate. No matter how close she might be to me, she'll **still** my opponent. And I **will** defeat her._ His light eyes closed gently, dark lashes brushing over his cheeks. His arms crossed over his chest as everything left his mind.

Everything, but the black and silver blade's movements.

Ah, no, Ten was everything but predictable. He wouldn't make out a pattern out of her moves even if his life depended on it. But there were ways, many other ways. Levels of energy, for instance. _High energy, move forward. Sudden drop, backwards. Medium, to the sides._

For a moment, the boy forgot with who he was battling, the adrenaline of the match running through his bloodstream with no control. A wolfish grin crossed his lips as his eyes snapped open, "Wolborg, attack!!"

The greyish beyblade spun faster as a pale glint came from the bit chip. A deep howl was heard as the Ice Wolf arose, lips pulled back from his ivory fangs.

Both tops clashed harshly and heavily, bits of metal flying everywhere. Deathscythe wobbled, having been pulled back till near the edge of the dish, but it wasn't long till the Angel of Death recovered. Turquoise eyes rose to lock with half lowered violet ones. His heart skipped a beat.

The female was breathing heavily, blood dripping from a gash on her cheek, her clothes ripped here and there. Her hands were turned to fists.

_Deathscythe's power is low... She's now using Ten's energy to keep fighting._

"Deathscythe! Dark tornado attack!" Ten screamed, raising her hands. The bit-chip of the black and silver beyblade glowed bright purple and an angel with wings appeared in midair, fierce and glaring at the girl's opponent.

Just as Deathscythe flung forward to the risen wolf, Ten blinked in confusion. Thick grey smoke suddenly appeared in front of her eyes, while the background became blurry.

_What's happening?_ Ten thought, _Why is everything foggy?_ Then suddenly something was felt on her back, like a sharp knife. Ten gasped, eyes wide. Her vision began to blur intensely until all she could see was nothing but a pitch black mass.

"Ten?" Kironi called.

"TEN!" Forest cried right after, their captain not responding to either of them.

Tala's icy blue eyes widened as he watched Ten collapse onto her knees then laying on the soft grass, clearly unconscious. The next thing he knew, his beyblade was by his feet, much to his surprise. Deathscythe had continued to battle, and had knocked Wolborg out of the dish just as Ten fainted, spinning weakly in the middle of the dish. Deathscythe barely won the match.

««Vision»»**  
**Every breath she took condensed in the cold air around her, hovering in front of her like smoke.

Ten took a few steps forward, hesitant ones, since she couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face due to the thick darkness all around the place. Running her hands up and down her arms to keep her skin warm, she continued, faster.

Suddenly she paused. In her practically useless act of turning her head in every direction to try and see something, **anything**, she caught sight of something. A light. A bright, pure white light.

Her feet started walking, each step faster than the last, first jogging, then running. Puffs of air trailed behind her as she tried to get more oxygen to enter her body and keep her going, eyes wide with hope, the adrenaline high in her bloodstream.

The young woman finally slowed down, tender eyes now squinting, an arm covering them, the sudden brightness making her pupils mere black endless dots in a sea of the most vivid violet tinge. Slowly, the light spread to everything around her, and she found herself in a high hill, wind blowing her hair in every possible direction and surprising her with its sudden appearance.

_Okaaaaay... So, where exactly am I again?_ Her eyes, now back to normal, looked down to the ground. Light brown coloured earth beneath her feet. Seemed secure enough. Glancing back up, she took a few more steps towards the edge of the cliff, looking around.

Rows and rows of dark green trees stood before her, hundreds of feet below.

_I can guess I was down below... Then, why am I up here all of a sudden? And **how** did I come up here in the first place?_

"Tenebrae..."

Her shoulders tensed, eyes widening. The voice was merely a whisper, barely heard above the wind, but it definitely sounded mournful.

Turning around, her breath hitched on her throat.

A black haired woman, her eyes just as black, was staring at her eerily. Tears fell silently down her pale cheeks as her lips curved into a sad smile, "Tenebrae... esse dispergere."

She tilted her head to the side, frowning lightly, "I don't.. understand." Somehow, that woman, as scary as she seemed to be, didn't cause her to be afraid or to put distance between them.

That odd smile softened, "I know. I said, the darkness is spreading. Fast."

The girl blinked, "What do you mean?"

"It cannot be said. It cannot be spoken in mere words, child." A slender finger was placed over her lips, "But I can show you, if you'd like."

"And.. why me?" instinctively, she took a step back, "Why not someone else?"

"You may think your life might be meaningless... After all the torture, all the pain, all the heartbreak." The hand of the woman was stretched out before her, "But the slightest change of the balance might be the fall of us all. Not only of your kind, but of mine as well, sooner or later. I am risking a lot by offering you The Sight for a few moments." A soft sigh escaped her, "But someone needs to know this. Not the Praeceptrix, for she will be the responsible for it all."

Ten lifted an eyebrow, "The who?"

"Iris C. Blanchett. 'Iris' in the Old Latin of the word means 'jewel'. Our jewel. Our so called... 'salvation'..." she sneered, fangs becoming visible as she glared at the ground. "She is the Balance. If she chooses a side for the wrong reason or unwisely, the Armageddon will ensue, mark my words, child. It is very, very dangerous."

"But if you let me.. see whatever you want me to see... won't that change the.. balance?"

Her dark hues rolled, "Why do you have to be so sharp, youngling? And make so many questions... Indeed, it will. But if you use the information wisely, you may be the salvation of us all. Can I trust you?"

"I can only answer that when you show me." Ten lifted her chin slightly, "Until then, nothing is sure."

A small smirk made its way to her features, "Just keep your cool and emotions in check. And remember, nothing you'll see is happening, nor is it real. But it can easily become real if nothing is made to stop it."

At her nod, the woman stepped forwards, her voice dropping to a whisper, "The images you are about to witness are my own, my thoughts, my visions, my dreams. If you speak of them to anyone, I will not hesitate on killing you, you understand?" a hand brushed the soft auburn locks to the side, baring the side of her neck.

"Yes." The girl whispered back, "Just do it already." A smirk of her own crossed her lips, "I'm stronger than I look, stop worrying so much."

"Fine. But keep that in mind." With that, the elder leaned in, biting down on Ten's neck, much to her surprise. Said feeling soon faded as her pupils grew smaller, duller, her vision blurring.

Just as fast, everything came back to her once more. The previous cliff was now gone as she found herself in the forest again. The sudden change made her slightly dizzy as she placed her feet wide apart for better balance. The squishing sound the motion made, made her stop though. Looking down to the ground, she paled. Blood. The colour usually caught her immediate attention, but not when she knew the "blood red" part was meant literally. The substance was everywhere one looked at.

And the sky... Black thick clouds threatened to obscure everything. They weren't dark grey clouds of rain either, these... didn't even **seem** to be clouds.

"Semíramis... sister." A tall blonde woman stepped forward in between the foliage. Her ponytail was impeccable, as was her flowing golden mane, a predatory glint in her eyes and matching grin in her features, "Our quest has come to a stop. And about time as well. Still refusing to join me, beside our Lord?"

"It all has no meaning to me." She felt the words slip from her lips on their own accord, much to her surprise. It was at that moment she realized her point of view was really the black haired woman's, "This will be our downfall."

The other promptly frowned, "Don't act like a weak fool! The humans have no right to be here-"

"They have as much right to be here as you do, sister." Swiftly, the remaining woman pursed her lips. That did sound good, "Like you, they do what they have to do to survive."

"They were weak! (_Were...?_ the teen thought absently,) All of them!! They killed us with no regrets before, our ancestors! Does such a fact not bother you?"

"You killed them as well." Her eyebrows furrowed together in a hostile way, "You and every one of us."

"We are strix(1). We have the right to be here more than anything else, the right to be superiors. All this was **ours** before they took it all!" a vicious snarl took away her exotic looks, making her seem indubitably deadly, "We deserve to prosper, to rule! I want to return to my castle, to reclaim my position of Lady! People are meant to serve me!! But now..." a satisfied smile crossed over her lips again, calmer, controlled, "They are all gone, all dead. Every. Single. Human. Being."

Each word sank in slowly, her numb mind finally understanding their true meaning, making her blood run cold.

Everyone...?

Forest...

Kironi...

Iris...

Yuriy.

Ten almost choked on the breath she was currently taking, a feeling of light-headedness blurring her sight all over again. Taking a few steps back, slowly, she turned around and started running. Where she was heading, she couldn't really say, but it seemed that her legs knew exactly where they were going. And as the girl reached a wide clearing, which she recognized to be the centre of the forest, where the finals of the tournament would be held, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her knees knocked heavily onto the ground, a pale hand covering her mouth in shock, wide eyes taking in the sight.

Her team. The BladeBreakers. The Dominatrix. The Demolition Boys.

Haunted violet eyes locked with the dull light blue ones of Tala. Lifeless, the usual rebel sparkle in them completely gone. "N-No.. It's just... How-?" Closing her own eyes tightly but still seeing the sight in her mind, she let her chin touch her chest as she bit her lip, fighting to keep the sobs from within her to be heard.

A hand rested over her arm, tugging and trying to pull her to her feet, not harshly, but not so gently either, "Come, child. Remember, this is a mere vision of mine. Not the reality... yet."

The teen only realized she was being dragged when the clearing went out of sight, "Wh-Where are we going?"

"This is what might happen, the consequence. Now, it is time for you to see the cause of it all." After the strange words, the scenery around them slowly changed, merging into what seemed to be some sort of cave.

Frowning lightly, Ten suddenly lifted her chin, "Something's not right about this place, something... unnatural. And I can't feel my bit beast's presence any longer either."

The other female smiled rather absently, "Bit beasts, and certainly not one as strong as yours, cannot enter here. They were the ones responsible for putting an end to our society. More than half of my kind died because of that, but still we survived and remained strong."

Her eyes widened, "What-? Why?!"

"Before the control your kind now has over this planet, mine ruled. Yours was merely a slave for our needs." The woman's dark eyes glazed over, "Every bit beast was free and, unlike the whole _chosen_ _one _ordeal, most of my race had bit beasts. Depending on their power and element, they were very sought out." Semíramis smirked lightly, "Deathscythe would bring Death to those we wished. Lugiohan held the power of the lightning and storms, bringing out its wild beauty and was very capable of destroying many cities with such abilities. And on and on. Along with those two and the four sacred bit beast, they were the strongest. But..." her expression gloomed, "We took all that for granted. We used them in our wars, meaningless confronts and punishments. One by one they left us. They enclosed themselves in small places, such as bit chips, as not to be detected. Our race, our so called glory... We ended up killing each other, since we had no bit beasts to help us. And your race grew, developed, and after a long, long time, the bit beasts rose once more, choosing a few selected ones to be the guardians of, while we, the forgotten ones, developed a new way of living: immortality. In exchange of pure, life giving blood. Human blood to be exact."

"So you are vampires..." the girl took a step back out of instinct, "Is that it?"

The other female grinned wolfishly, "Indeed, we are. But you are safe, trust me. I need you, therefore I cannot kill you. Not yet, anyway. I do not want my race to rule. At least, not like they used to. It will lead to our own destruction, just like before." She sighed, "But Velane, our Lady, does not see that. The bit beasts will hide themselves once more once they discover we are the ones behind all this; there is no point in doing it. Anyway, just come along."

The long damp corridor kept going and going as they walked. Despite having the same difficulties at seeing almost as much as in the first place she found herself in when this whole ordeal had begun, Semíramis seemed just fine, even at peace with the place.

"This is the largest colony in the planet of my kind and, mind you, we're just a few thousands. It is where your friend will be brought to if Velane succeeds." The woman looked back at her over her shoulder, "That, youngling, is what needs to be stopped at all costs."

The darkness soon lifted, replaced by a large dome-like cave, absolutely enormous but nevertheless, beautiful. They both stood in one of the many entrances that lead to it.

The ceiling was made of glass and, if Ten's eyes weren't mistaking her, she would say she could distinguish Dragoon, Dranzer, Drigger and Draciel's images in it by the four divisions made. At one end of the room, stood another blindingly white glass and again, she could've sworn Lugiohan was part of it. On the opposite end though, darkness lurked. An eerie black mass of glass covered the rocky wall and on it – the girl gasped -, there was Deathscythe.

The whole room gave off an air of a gothic-like church of the Middle Ages, statues of angels to one side, oddly found in the darkest part of the room, and demons on the opposite lighter side. A few of the statues held dangerous looking swords or spears, pointed at each other, their expressions hostile.

A large altar stood in the middle of it, ominous and majestic. The wood made off of it was pitch black in colour and six candles adorned its top, three on each side: one red, one blue, another one green, a violet one, a black and finally a pale white one.

A velvety snowy white carpet went over the altar and the cold, black granite ground, continuing on to one of the entrances, a slightly bigger than all others, passing through row after row after row of long wooden seats, which, Ten just noticed, were occupied by a large multitude dressed in foot-length cloaks, not a single spot left. On the edges of the material of the carpet, there was black writing, which seemed to be Latin. Every once in a while, the word PRAECEPTRIX stood out against all others, since it was lined with a blood red colour.

A wide door on the other side of the altar crashed open against the walls beside it, the blonde woman from before, Velane by name, walking forward. By her fast pacing, she almost seemed angry, but the anxious sparkle in her eyes said otherwise.

Behind her, two bare-chested pale men followed, holding a red, white and black bundle of what seemed to be clothes in between their arms. Very carefully, even gently, they placed their cargo on the altar and in almost slow motion, lifted the colourful veil covering it.

Unconsciously, and really not having expected to see such a thing, Ten gasped. A bloodied and very pale version of Iris was laid down on it, a shadow over her eyes cast by the long chin length bangs framing her face. Her hands rested in between her breasts, fingers laced as if in a prayer, except her index fingers. Both fingertips were placed against one another, pointing to the base of her chin. Her clothes were the same as they usually were, though ripped and dark with the obvious bloodshed they went through.

"The time has finally come, fraters(2). We've waited for so long for this moment to come and now, all our patience, our time living beneath the surface will pay off. Let us see the one that will bring our race back to its previous glory." That unusual glint multiplied tenfold, "One of our enemies, now at our feet, at our mercy." Her hand ran from the shoulder to the hip of the prone girl with a knowing smirk.

The people sitting on the rest if the room lifted their heads in unison. The glint in their eyes matched that of Velane's, some licking their lips hungrily, the quietest whisper sweeping over the crowd for a few seconds.

The blonde woman's hand rose to silence the room, "Begin, we shall." Almost gently, she held one of the girl's wrists, holding it up. Running her tongue over her front teeth, her thin lips pulled back from them and leaning in, her canines sunk deep into the tender flesh.

Other than the blood rushing out through the cut wrist and down the corner of the woman's lips, nothing happened for a few agonizing moments despite the quiet growls heard once in a while coming from the ones assisting.

Slowly, eerily, a pale shine started to be noticed over the young girl's chest, forming a bright while sphere of light, a few black rays seen over it once in a while much alike lightening.

The hand holding Iris's wrist lowered, its owner licking her lips hungrily, a wide grin over her features. "So, to have complete control over the bit beasts, it is not needed to have a pure soul, is it?" that same bloodied hand cradled the small bright sphere carefully as if it would break at the slightest rough touch, "When the predicted seven minutes pass, her soul, her essence, her powers... Will be ours to use."

"No!!" Ten closed her eyes tightly, both hands covering her ears to block out the other's cheers for Velane, turning her back to the scene, "There has to be something that's capable to stop all this!! I can't let it happen, I just can't! Something, someone who-"

"There is!" Semíramis growled out, interrupting her. Her own hands were holding her head, as if in pain, "Please stop screaming and keep your emotions in control!"

But the other female hadn't heard the last part of her tirade. A strange glint was in her eyes, "There is someone?"

The vampire rolled her dark eyes, looking rather annoyed, "Yes, yes, yes, ita, but it's useless right now. Not even the Praeceptrix knows of their existence, but she will, soon. And my kind only knew quite a short time ago as well, but that's not the point. No one can reach this person right now, we'll have to solve this on our own, youngling."

"No." the woman just blinked at her, "We need help. We need to find that person. We **need** to."

"I told you, human. It is not possible." Her dark eyes narrowed, a snarl on her lips.

The Russian glared at her, refusing to give in, "Then let me see who it is." Smirking lightly to herself, she let her eyes drift close as she concentrated on the feeling she had had when she had been bitten. The two memories from before flashed in quick motion somewhere in her mind. And as the last remnants of the dark cave with Velane and Iris disappeared, another vision came into her mind's eye.

A blurry form appeared in a bright dark red, vivid yellow and light blue background. It wasn't long until her violet eyes distinguished two distinct forms.

The smaller one was clearly female, if the shapely hips and chest were any indication. Her flowing back hair reached near the back of her knees, its tips blood red, contrasting heavily with the gentle twinkle of a pair of silvery blue hues, the softest smile curving her lips upwards.

"Iris..." Ten whispered to herself. Was it just her or she seemed to be taller?

The shadow that loomed behind her started to clear as well. Whoever it was, was even taller than her friend, having spiky hair and broad shoulders. _A boy? Kai...?_ The male was well built and held an air of confidence and arrogance about him. The difference between both their complexion was downright alarming; while Iris had an almost golden skin, he was awfully pale.

But he wasn't Kai.

His hair was snowy white, every wisp of it looking soft and delicately exquisite, despite the three or four inches long tips also being blood red. Its style was somewhere between Kai's and Max's and fell gently over deep midnight blue eyes in a definitely boyish kind of way. Those eyes shined with a calm demeanour and the knowledge that his soul was pure, a sense of protectiveness in their depths as well and... was it love? His arms were wrapped around the girl's waist loosely, his chin resting gently on her shoulder. And why did they seem so much alike?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, everything around her drifted away and she was pulled back to that same cliff where she had first been, Semíramis looking down at her (she noticed she was on the floor, probably having lost her balance) with a murderous expression in her usually emotionless features, "How **dare** you? Stupid naïve human, you truly have no idea of what you have done, do you?!"

But before the girl could even utter a reply, the scenery around her started to blur, the colours mingling together.

_Who was he? _Was her last thought before she woke up.  
««End Vision»»

...TBC...

* * *

(1) **If u didn't guess it yet, it means "vampire", in Latin. **

(2)** Means "brothers".**

**Dark: Have an excellent x-mas & start 2007 w/ ur rite foot ;) C ya.**


	9. Hopes and Fears

**Dark: I won't comment on the lateness. "Skool" is the rite thing 2 blame thou. & slight writer's block. But that's over. **

Disclaimer/Summary: Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 9... Hopes and Fears  
**  
Ten sat up straight in her sleeping bag, gasping for breath, sweat beads all over her forehead, some rolling down the side of her temples, making her shiver. She looked to her side and let out a small sigh of relief as the bluenette continued to sleep. Rubbing her eyes, the girl got out of the tent she laid in and looked around the campsite; everyone seemed to be in their own tents, the bonfire in the middle still burning. Choking on her sobs, Ten took a direction, a slender, pale hand over her mouth, not noticing a shadow watching her with wide eyes. 

Blindly, she walked towards the clearing, where the moonlight from the full moon in the star-kissed sky shone all around her, reflecting off her pale skin. There was a small river down the hill and a tree not far from her. Walking towards it, she rested one hand against the trunk. Hot and cold tears mingled as they rolled down her pale cheeks, not a single colour in her face. Her eyes were shut tight to stop said tears but they were flooding her orbs and spilling rapidly before she could stop them.

A hand went around her lithe frame and rested on the left side of her waist, spinning her round so fast she gasped in surprise, her arm instinctively wrapping around the owner's neck. Dull, haunted purple orbs locked their gaze with electric blue hues, before the girl looked away, choking on her cries.

Tala frowned lightly. "What's wrong?" he whispered, trying to catch her eyes in vain. "Ten?"

She didn't respond, nor turned to look back at him, but opted to close her eyes instead.

"Look at me." It wasn't a command, just a mere, soft suggestion.

"I can't." she whispered.

"Why not?"

"Because if I did, I would see something that I may not want to see… something different." she looked into his eyes nevertheless, resulting in more tears silently falling.

"What do you mean?" the redhead frowned at seeing the streaks, lifting a hand to brush them away, not even thinking twice about the gesture.

"I.. had a nightmare about you. The worst thing..." but she couldn't say it. The horrible picture of him, lying on the floor over a pool of his own blood, eyes dull and pale blue instead, not a single sparkle of life shining on them still lingered in her mind.

"Don't say it if you don't want to," his quiet voice spoke, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Why?" she asked, fisting his shirt tightly in her hands.

"I… don't understand," the boy blinked.

"Why do you do this to me? Wherever I look, you're there; whenever I close my eyes I see you; whenever I sleep I dream of you. You can never leave my mind." She lowered her hand and arm, lowered her eyes and hugged herself. "No matter what I do: beyblade, training, no matter what I do, I can never stop thinking about you. Because… I still love you," she looked up at him to see his surprise, more in his eyes than in his expression. Ten roughly brushed the reminder of the tears off one cheek, letting out a sigh.

"I thought you were with Axel," his voice was quiet, but laced with something neither would dare to name. The redhead looked away, fisting his hand.

"I am. But I'm afraid of the outcome."

Tala looked at her, lifting one eyebrow, confused. _Outcome?_

Taking a deep breath, the girl completed, "I'm known as the black sheep in my family. Bad luck."

He rolled his eyes, "That's not true-"

Ten continued as if she hadn't heard him, "My family was convinced that I was the cause of my parents' death. If I wasn't born, my mum wouldn't have died, and my father wouldn't have died from depression either. And when I stayed at the Abbey, every partner I was paired up with before I paired up with you, were injured, or in a coma from the beatings they got just because I won the matches against them. If we drew, then maybe they would have lived a normal life."

Tala shook his head softly, ready to interrupt her again, but her hand lifted, asking silent permission to finish, to make her point across. Reluctantly, not really liking the tone the conversation was taking, he allowed so.

"And you. You took all those beatings because of me. You took them when they were meant for me. And I'm scared something similar will happen to Axel." The last part was whispered quietly, but due to the silence around them, it was heard clearly.

Inwardly, he growled. The last thing he wanted was to comfort her saying she'd be ok with the Dominatrix's captain, but he didn't enjoy seeing her depressed either. The boy could almost heard Wolborg's mocking snicker at his unusual hesitation as he replied in Russian this time, knowing she'd pay more attention that way, "It won't, Ten. You're not a black sheep, or whatever you want to call it. If it hadn't been for us all, including you," he brushed a lock of hair away from her face gently, barely taking notice of it, "Iris wouldn't have escaped. Because of you, Iris had the chance to be free, and the Demo-Boys all owe their lives to you because you helped us escape, even though I was guilty for not being able to help you."

Her eyes lifted, but doubt was still present in their depths. In a mournful whisper, she spoke up quietly, "But you're still a cyborg."

That word alone made Tala's breath hitch in his throat, his eyes hardening ever so slightly. Unconsciously, he fixed his stare on a spot somewhere above the top of her head instead of her eyes.

"Bryan told me that they had taken you to the experiment room…. I was so scared of losing the one person I held dear to my heart. All I could think of was to save you. But when I reached there, it was already too late." More angry tears rolled down her face. Her eyes shut tightly, but that wasn't near enough to stop the flow.

_So that's who that voice belonged to…_ Realization dawned in him, his eyes widening slightly. The boy shook his head to get rid of those thoughts as the brunette continued.

"Even after you became… what you are now," she delicately avoided the word, "I still loved you, because... Because you're you. Because you're Tala Ivanov. And I'll always love you, no matter what. That didn't change who you are, if it even changed what you are, Yuriy." Silence ensued her words. She began to speak again, but this time, her tone was full of venom, "But that was shattered the day you and the others destroyed the Abbey. I saw you with her and I knew that after the day you escaped, you had forgotten about me, and moved on. Still, you were the only thing that kept me going, kept me living, just a mere memory of you." turning her back on him and leaning against a nearby tree, the girl took several deep breaths or else she would break down again.

"You're not the only one who's having this kind of problems, you know," he finally whispered. Ten turned her head to the side, but didn't look at him, simply listening.

"I love Rosemary. But I also love you," blue orbs lowered, staring at the ground. "I just don't know who to choose. And when I thought you hadn't survived that crash, I was ready to move on, with her. I won't lie to you about that. But then you returned, and I was back to where I started. You came back and I… I dunno, I was happy, relieved, but you pushed me away and all I wanted to do was to hurt you like you hurt me. All I wanted was revenge that day. But it all changed when I realised my mistake and I hoped…" ever so briefly, he glanced her way, "I still hope that you can forgive me for what I did."

By now, she was looking at him, surprise in her own eyes. And without warning, she walked up to him and hugged him tightly, holding onto him, not wanting to let go; Tala did the same.

"I loved you all my life. And I still do," he whispered.

"I love you too."

Tala ran his fingers through her soft tresses, when he caught a few knots. Gently, pulling his fingers down, he tilted her head back and gently captured her soft lips, moaning when she responded desperately. The heated kiss was short and sweet, and they broke it, breathing coming in fast gasps.

"What about Axel and Rosemary?" the brunette asked regretfully, "You know we can't suddenly-"

"Break them. I know. I guess the two of us are going to have to make them understand. Though… now, it doesn't sound like a good idea, does it?" She didn't like the idea. Neither of them did. "Just remember this if something goes wrong. And when you're ready, let me know about that dream of yours." A nod was his response. Slowly, regretfully, he walked backwards, away from her and turned around.

"Tala?" The mere sound of his name stopped him in his tracks. "The match…"

A smile tugged at his lips, she realized, as he looked at her over his shoulder, "You won." And with that he returned to his tent. Soon after, Ten also returned to her tent.

None of them noticed that Axel had heard the entire conversation from the branch above them.

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"And 3!..."

Both beyblade's made the telltale quiet 'click', indicating that they were secure in their launchers, which were put in position.

"2..."

The bladers did the same, one arm slightly bend, the other tense, waiting to pull the rip cord, legs slightly apart, eyes narrowed, focusing on the spot they intended their beyblade's to land. There was no denying that their style was very alike.

"1!!.."

Muscles tightened, the first hormones of adrenaline being freed into their systems were noticed.

"Let it RIP!!!"

The tops were launched, touching each other for a brief fraction of a second before separating and landing on the edge of the makeshift dish opposite to their bladers. They both gave two laps around the circle, touching four times, but making no damage on each other, almost as if they regretted doing so.

No words were spoken out loud as both blades came forward, meeting at the centre, sparks flying. They both circled each other, trying to search any weaknesses on the other's defence to no avail.

Without even asking, both bit beasts came forward.

:: No disruptions this time, Lady Deathscythe::

:: I doubt it. The little one seems fine to me. For now, that is. ::

The wolf growled quietly at feeling his Holder narrowing his eyes. He seemed to want their battle finished, right now.

:: Such short patience… I wonder why you chose him, Lord Wolborg. ::

:: His spirit is strong. Bended, but not broken. Never broken. ::

The blades met at the centre of the dish once more, hard and holding nothing back. Dust started to come up, not that anyone noticed and despite the temperature being high, it descended abruptly as wherever the grey beyblade went by, ice gathered.

Rui blinked as something wet landed on the tip of his nose. He looked up, "It's raining."

The numerous sparks flying from the grinding of the attack rings diminished to a minimum, the rain drops not even touching the tops, being sent every direction away due to their speed.

_I can turn this into my advantage, with the right moves…_ Tala's eyes were focused on the quarrelling bit beasts, though his mind wasn't. A flash in them was the only thing he gave away.

The large wolf pulled away suddenly, lips pulled back. Leaning his head back, he let out a low howl.

Ten lifted one eyebrow, _What's he up to?_ Her answer came in the form of an unexpected sharp pain at her head, "Ow!" her hand caught whatever object that had hit her, which was as cold as… "Ice?" a chunk of ice was rapidly melting in her hand, half the size of a golf ball. Looking back at the battle, similar pieces of ice were falling into the dish, not completely melting as the one she was holding. _The temperature's still dropping. He's creating the obstacles due to that. The original obstacles were destroyed by Deathscythe before I fainted in our other battle. And these are of his element. He now has the advantage. _Unconsciously, she smiled, _Nice move._

"OWWW!" Tyson also paid for being so close to the dish, quite a few bits of ice landing on him no matter how much he tried to avoid them.

The rest of the teens wisely took a few steps back, where the ice was no bigger than little drops of the size of tears.

Bryan glanced over at the boy battling, _Seems like he's impatient. Just don't screw up, Wolf._

An imperceptible nod and the icicles abruptly stopped. The grey beyblade slowed down, even wobbling once, much to everyone's surprise, spinning in the very centre of the crater, while the black one spun fast around it. The temperature went back up again.

Kai smirked, "Excellent move. Wouldn't have done it better myself." For that comment, he got some weird looks, but his statement soon became clear.

All the ice that had gathered was quickly melting, a few parts of the dish becoming muddy, but mostly covered in water. Still not Tala's element, but that could be easily arranged.

Bright blue eyes snapped open, "Wolborg, freeze this." Just as quickly, the low, steady spinning of the other blade quickened, increasing. It started circling the dish, the ice rapidly spreading. Now that the water was liquid, it was everywhere, and once frozen, all would be over.

Ten bit her lip. It was already hard to blade in the mud; Deathscythe had wobbled perilously more than once. Then the water spread over even more and had made her progress slower even. And now… _If Wolborg catches Deathscythe in the water, she'll freeze as well. And I can't run anywhere… So, only one solution. _Just as both blades were about to collide- "Deathscythe, up!" the black one jumped. She would've used Wolborg himself to give her more momentum, but this would just have to do.

_Not as easy as I would've liked… Then again, I should've known better. But what goes up, comes down. Though not in the timing I'd want._ Just as Deathscythe landed, the last part of the water froze over.

The tip of her base wobbled and made her lose her balance, the difference between dusty sand-mud-water-ice getting to her. The girl glanced up at Tala. Despite easily managing to smash her out of the dish, since Wolborg was more than used to the ice and Deathscythe was still trying to regain her total balance, he did not. No, he wasn't like that. "Deathscythe." He knew it was a matter of seconds till she was at full force and he didn't like an easy win. _Especially with me. He tried the first attack, he missed. Now it's my turn. _"Black Feather Arrows."

The beautiful Angel of Death made the second appearance that battle, giving a meaningful look at the boy in front of her, before glancing at his own bit beast, her scythe twirling once in her right hand.

Tala didn't look intimidated; in fact, his chin rose in defiance. His right arm made a wide arch in his blade's direction, eyes never looking away. Wolborg growled threateningly, standing in a menacing pose in front of his Holder. At the exact same moment, they advanced.

There was a bright flash, a mixture between icy blue and pitch black, before two blades shot out of the dish at the same time.

The girl caught the top with her right hand as it was about to hit her left shoulder, seeing her opponent do the same. Wordlessly, they walked up to each other.

Violet eyes softened as Ten opened her palm, the grey beyblade resting there. Tala did much the same, the black one also lying in his own palm. They both threw both blades up in the air and caught the one that belonged to them.

In the remaining matches, Kironi defeated Spencer, and Bryan smoothly did the same to Forest, ending the match between both teams in a draw.

"Umm… another combat?"

Just as Max spoke up, the monitor above them blinked to life. After the matches, the team that passed blinked a few times, while the defeated one diminished its glow. This time, both the team's names blinked.

The teams had both passed.

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In the early morning of the next day, Ten glanced up from fixing Deathscythe's attack ring. Axel had just passed by, oddly not sparing her a look, holding a razor blade, a towel and some more stuff in his arms and heading for the small river there nearby. Odd. Even before he had admitted anything to her, he at least sent a smile in greeting her way. After a few more minutes, she followed. Much to her surprise, when she got there, the older teen was shaving. The girl cleared her throat to make her presence known.

The sound seemed to startle him, the blade smoothly and expertly running over his Adam's apple and chin ending up making a small cut on his skin. Sideways, he glanced over to her, continuing his task after wiping the few drops of blood away.

"Sorry about that…" before she could help it, the words blurted out, "I didn't know you shaved."

The older boy blinked. Though it didn't look like it was a curious, or surprised blink. It looked… expressionless, merely casual… _cold_. "Well, I do. For about two years now. Rui does so as well."

She frowned, "He hasn't grown a thing."

"Not true. His moustache and jaw line have a bit of fuzz. Or so he claims. Though it's practically blonde like his hair. But that's why he shaves. The shade is slightly darker than his hair, and he just hates it." He waved a hand at her, picking up the now damp towel and passing it through his cheeks, chin and neck, cleansing the rest of the white foam from his skin. Absently, he ran a hand over his chin.

At watching him, Ten couldn't help but conjure Tala in her mind doing the same thing. Did he even shave? She doubted it; his skin was still too smooth.

"Last night you weren't sleeping."

Her silly, previous thoughts vanished immediately. Bloody hell.

««Flashback»»  
"…I don't fall asleep easily. Only if I'm exhausted. So, I just lie down to sleep around four in the morning."

"We get up at around half past six. That would mean you sleep barely two and a half hours?"

"Yeah, sort of. I mean, deep sleeping. When I'm out here, I just close my eyes and doze off. So, I get enough rest." The boy shrugged casually…  
««End Flashback»»

She had completely forgotten about that. She had been far too occupied looking at Tala and trying to make him understand her position to think of anything else. But he couldn't… could he? "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, "I heard you. The wolf didn't shut up all night long."

Ten bit her lip. True, she remembered, at the back of her mind, hearing Nevola howling last night; it had been a full moon. But then again, she also knew Axel was aware of Tala's nickname being Wolf as well. Words with double meaning. The question was, which one did he mean? She decided to be wary, "Umm, Nevola…? Yeah, he really didn't-"

He turned to her so quickly and with such emotion in his dark eyes she unconsciously took two steps back and interrupted herself, her gasp unheard due to the sound of the water running, "Yes, Nevola. Which other wolf would I be talking about around 3am, Rosa? Maybe Ivanov?"

"N-No-"

"Then why did you even doubt it was Nevola I was referring to?" the razor blade held tightly in his hand cut through the sensitive skin, unnoticed by him, the dark blood tainting the emerald grass. In his eyes, there was so much hurt, so much pain, such betrayal, she herself felt tears prickling in her eyes.

_What have I done?_ "Axel, please understand. I didn't want-"

"Just don't say it." He looked away from her, only to look back not long after, "I can understand you like him. I don't mind, I really don't. I respect your decision. But really, you didn't need to include me in this only to hurt me."

He had made his point across and completed his task. His words had hit a nerve. The girl visibly flinched. "I just-"

"Then again, I was kind of stupid. I mean, it's not the first time this happens to me." He muttered. Ten had no clue whether he was talking to her or himself. "Why did I trust you, why did I even put that chance into thought, **that**'s what's making me wonder."

"Please, Axel..." She tried again, now completely feeling that her words would do nothing to soothe the boy before her. Suddenly, she was very aware of how well built he was. How easily he could hurt her. "This wasn't supposed to be. I needed help and… you were there. I'm very sorry… I really am. I didn't mean to use you or anything, it wasn't supposed to be this way-"

He turned back to her sharply. That look in his eyes would haunt her for a long time to come, "Don't bother." With the cold statement, he left. The Russian did not dare try to look for him this time.

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"You're telling me we have to climb this down? **THIS**?!" Tyson pointed to the not so smooth hill that seemed to be on their way at that moment, which seemed to be a at least one hundred feet high. "There's no way!"

"Ah, well.. Better start then, ne?" Shauna passed him by, happily munching on an orange. Gracefully, she started climbing down, quickly and almost effortlessly. Under her weight, the rocks didn't seem to even move.

"Is this secure?" Tiff lifted a golden eyebrow, taking a few steps carefully. A few grains got loose and tumbled down below. She made a face, "Gods, what a way to die…"

"As usual, I love your positive way of thinking." Iris commented while following Shauna's example, not caring in the least when a few of the rocks she stepped on fell beneath her feet just as she jumped to another one.

One by one, everyone followed, more or less steadily. Once he could find enough space to do so, Rui sped up a bit to catch up with Shauna. "Meh, you shouldn't do this alone, ya know. Might be a bit dange- Whoops!"

The blond beauty flinched visibly as he fell on his back due to a few mossy rocks. "Umm… Are you alright, Rui?"

"Course I am!! Just… I think my ass is sore."

"Hu huh, Rui…" Tiff passed them by, "And guess what? You stepped on water!"

"So old, Tiff, it's not even funny…"

"Oye." Axel's baritone voice caught their attention. In his hand there was four small envelopes. "The next matches, probably." Once the other three captains walked up to him, he gave them their respective one. When it came to Ten in last, he once again didn't spare her a look.

A series of gasps sounded from most of the teens.

-

_Congratulations! _

You and your team are one of the first four to get up to this point! Until the remaining teams arrive, you are allowed to a short moment of training, if you so wish. Once these four envelopes have been taken, you may continue on your way to your next destined location.

Please notice that, from this point onwards, you have been qualified to the semi-finals, both of which will occur at the same time. We all wish you the best of luck.

As soon as the four captains have been acquainted to each other, you are to decide your opponent as you deem fit. The victors of each encounter will, of course, be qualified for the finals.

That the best teams win,  
Best Regards

David Teixeira and the Brazilian Organization  
with the courtesy of BBA

-

The members of said four teams looked among each other, not really knowing what to say.

"We're the first, huh?"

"And each other's opponents…"

"Rin." Iris looked up at the sound of the familiar, if unused, nickname, her eyes locking with Tala's.

The redhead had a challenging glint in his eyes, a slow grin dancing on his lips, "Shall we?" the unsaid words, _Like old times_, seemed to be picked up by her. The girl grinned back, turning to her own captain.

The older boy, contrary to his usual thoughtful ways, didn't seem to take much time in taking the issue into his normal deep analysis. "Sure. Of course."

"Great!" the black haired girl allowed herself a small twirl, "But you must let me battle Yuriy, got it?"

Once more, uncharacteristically, Axel shrugged, "As you wish. I don't want to battle anyway."

While Iris blinked and raised an eyebrow, Rui stepped in, grinning from ear to ear, "Really? Seriously? Ahhh, then I can let Zephyrus work a little, right?"

"Yeah. You, Iris, and…" his dark eyes looked from Shauna to Tiff and back again. "Boisvert." The remaining blond pouted a little, ready to start arguing, but Nevola got her attention not too long after. The matter was soon forgotten while Tiff supported a wide, proud smile.

"Excellent. Merci beaucoup, ma cher Axel."

Rolling his eyes, the young man started on his way, checking his map once, before turning in the direction they were supposed to follow.

"We didn't even ask for your opinion, but there weren't really many chances." Wolf turned to the two remaining teams and their respective captains, his hues lingering on the female one.

"Yeah, it's alright." Ten winked, "Even if I'd like battling against Iris myself." _And maybe try to calm down Axel as well…_ She nudged the bluenette who was beside her, "Get ready, eh Phoenix?"

Said boy merely glanced at her in a calm way, "Same thing should be said to you."

"Oh yeah!!!" the calm atmosphere had to be broken by no other than Tyson, who scampered off immediately after Axel, and was then followed by the rest of less enthusiastic BladeBreakers. "Get ready, I'll beat ya all!!"

"Pff, yeah, keep on dreaming…" Kironi muttered to her own self, bringing a chuckle out of her two team mates.

This time, it didn't take them so long to reach their destination. Axel stopped walking not even an hour later as they reached the sidelines of two large stadiums. "I think this is it. Join up with your team and opponents, all of you. Let's start."

The turquoise-eyed boy nodded once, taking a slow glance at his own team. "Who's starting on your part?"

"The je here." Tiffany stepped forward, one hand over her hip and a small smile on her lips, "And over there?"

Spencer took two steps forward, arms crossed over his chest, "I'll be facing you."

"Ah, nice, nice." Her smile widened to a grin, "Water type, huh? Perfect."

"Watch it, blondie." The lightly scolding tone made her turn around to look at her best friend, "He doesn't follow the saying 'the biggest they are, the harder is the fall'. Be careful with your moves."

"Yeah, sure. I'll try."

On the other bey dish, things weren't too different. "I wanna be first!!" Tyson walked up to the edge of the wide depression, confident and sure of his win against one of the three girls across from him. Who was seriously starting to develop a rather big dislike for the younger boy was still Kironi, who had already declared she'd be the one taking him on.

"Go right ahead." Forest gave her a thumbs up, "It's not him I'm interested in."

"Da, same here."

"Excellent." The brown eyed teen allowed a small grin to show up, "Get ready, Tyson."

The young champion took out his launcher, rip cord and his own blade, grinning back as he usually did, "I was born ready."

"Alright!!" Max stood between both dishes, his hyperactive attitude showing through, "Everyone here ready to start? And 1…….!"

The tall blond adjusted his launcher out of reflex, light blue eyes on the tomboy in front of him. He knew nothing of her, while she, on the other hand, seemed to know him. Then again, maybe it was those eyes, sharp and glinting, much like his own captain's. Tch. But he doubted Iris would go as low as telling her team their moves. _Nah. She's not like that._ So, he still had the element of surprise on his side.

"2…!"

Tiff liked to put up a brave front. But the truth was, she knew next to nothing about her opponent. _Ah, well…_ A very warm, familiar presence was felt on her mind, soothing her own thoughts, _I trust you, my friend._ She resumed her relaxed posture, changing the angle of her launch ever so slightly.

"3!!"

The navy haired beyblader, obviously, did not hear Dragoon's warnings as the ancient bit beast kept trying to tell him not to brag, since the boy did it yet again. Fighting against a phoenix was never easy and even Tyson knew that much. But his Holder was still young, unfortunately. Which was a shame sometimes. But he did choose him; he must now keep up with him until he matures enough to listen. At least, he was in the correct stance.

Kironi, on the other hand, felt as if she had the easiest match. _If he keeps up talking and doesn't battle…_ Even if he is the current world champion. Another part of her reminded her clearly that he had beaten Wolf. And that was not an easy task._ Hmm… we shall see._

"Let it RIP!!!!!!!!!!"

With both Max's arms coming down to start both matches, four beyblades were released, spinning fast and all meant to win.

**  
**...TBC...

* * *

**Thanks 2:  
**Tenebrae Rosa:** The vision was long, eh? Cudn't do anything about it. All that had to be there xP**

**Dark: Plz review.**


	10. Winners and Losers

**Dark: Hey… I'm alive. I'm alive!! 8D Wait… NO, I'M NOT! That way u'll kill me.. Hn. Rite… Well, just… read, yeah. & review**

**Disclaimer/Summary:** Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 10… Winners and Losers  
**  
The dark and golden blade landed smoothly on the top of a rock, followed soon by a cobalt blue one. They both met at the middle and circled each other, before separating and keeping their distance off each other. 

Tiffany, in her end of the stadium, changed her weight to her other foot. _Damn it. He's bloody copying me. Though I don't blame him; he's trying to get data on me, like I'm trying to do. Thing is, he's managing…_

A bit off to the side and a few steps back, Iris rolled her eyes discreetly. _So hot-headed…_ If she was patient, Tiff could still pull it out. Should, at least. But water-based attacks were rather nasty coming from Spencer. Hence, she **knew** they were, they had battled more than once. _Not to mention she bases herself on Fire._ Which was a problem. In a "hand-to-hand" battle, so to speak, Spence was obviously the strongest, having the oldest bit beast and keeping a clear head while battling. The complete opposite to the blond girl, by the way…

Another strong clash, perfectly synchronized, almost had Ignisithar flying clear out of the bey stadium. _Bleh. I didn't want to release you if I could help it, but as it seems…_ "Ignisithar, arise."

All colours from yellow to bright red on the radiation spectre appeared brilliantly as the mighty unicorn stepped forth, a distant, yet loud neigh sounding. Spencer's obvious advantage, due to the bigger weight of his defence ring and patience, was quickly and efficiently destroyed as the black top pressed forward.

"Rui."

The male Portuguese glanced over at his second in command in an inquisitive way. "Hm?"

The Praeceptrix walked up to his side, lowering her voice. "Don't hold back when it's your turn, 'k? You have the element of surprise on your side. If you waste it, I swear…" her eyes narrowed, "I'll break your shins in so many places you'll never be able to play as a striker in your football team ever again."

A half amused, half scared smile crossed the other's lips, "Err… sure, vice-captain Blanchett. It'll be mine and Zephyrus' pleasure."

"I sure hope so." He was the one having one of the best shots. _Tiff was a rather careless choice to be honest. She won't last._ Denzel based himself on Wind; Iris knew Ian stank against Bryan, so it was good. And against Bryan himself… well, it would be hard. Harsh. Very… windy, as a matter of fact. But maybe he could do it. _Heh, we shall see if you're truly worth it, Mário Rui… We shall see._

True to the black haired girl's analysis, it didn't take much for Ignisithar to fly clear out of the dish. Though the childish pout coming from her so called best friend was rather idiotic. And Tala's smirk made her grit her teeth, although she didn't take it seriously. She knew he was trying to rub it; the fact that his team was stronger. Ah, she knew that, she didn't need him to prove it.

_The fact remains: if I make a few well-planned plays, I will still be the one saying check-mate, Wolf. _"Who's your second player?"

Bryan took a step forward before Ian had the chance to. "I am."

_So they do want to secure their advantage._ Iris merely nodded. "Rui's your opponent." But the hand on her arm made her look over at said person.

"He's the one who fought Ray in the World Championship, isn't he?" no fear was in his voice, or resentment, and neither in his eyes. Just a mere question that wanted an answer. At her nod, he simply smiled. "I always did wonder how he did his attack. Guess I'll find out first hand, ne?" just like that, he turned to face the lavender-haired boy waiting.

Rui was rarely afraid. It took a lot more for him to even admit it. Adrenaline, he felt it many times. He loved the feeling of it, rushing through his bloodstream. And it was starting. Somewhere, it started on his chest and hastily covered every muscle till the very tips of his fingers. His mid section contracted in response and his legs, for the nanosecond that passed just before the hormones passed through them, felt numb.

As he reached for his launcher and blade, he couldn't help but crack the knuckles of his left hand. It was a habit of his. If on the field before an important game, he'd lean down, touch the grass and cross himself. But while running, that passed unnoticed. Not here. _Tch, I have a reputation to keep…_

Both boys readied launchers and beyblades and adjusted their poses while the countdown was quickly made. The tops were released at full speed, landing hard and fast on the stadium.

It was obvious the all-Russian team would go immediately for the kill, to secure their advantage. The blond knew that much and, following his line of thoughts, Falborg invested towards his own top, fast and unforgiving, when he was near the edge of the dish.

But he wouldn't have any of it. Despite his personality being very similar to Tiffany's, when battling, it was not. At all. His head tilted to the side and seconds later, Zephyrus jumped and landed back on the middle of the stadium without a scratch. The lavender coloured blade did a nasty sharp turn, but did not fall either. _I didn't think it would either, heh._

Across from him, Bryan lifted an eyebrow discreetly. _I'd swear he wouldn't be much different from his team-mate. Guess I underestimated him. _A quick lock of eyes and a quirk of female lips, Iris told him silently this latest realization was correct. _I won't do it again._ "Falborg."

The large, winged bit beast rose, screeching loudly to the heavens above, watching the blond boy carefully. Its feathers ruffled out of reflex. It did not recognize this Holder, but Zephyrus was another thing. A Wind Wolf. This wouldn't be the easiest battle.

:: Should we. ::

A low growl was his answer and the effects of Falborg's attack ceased. It wasn't visible to the naked eye, no. But a barrier had been erected all around him. He did not worry with Shauna and the rest of his team; they had all taken a few steps back. _Good. They know how… extravagant I can end up being._ A grin crossed his lips, "Sorry, but your Stroblitz ain't gonna work with me. I'm Wind as well, ya know."

_Just like that?_ His opponent frowned fully. _I know he bases himself in Wind, but is his bit beast that strong? _A larger wave of energy did nothing other than ruin a few tree's canopies. No slits appeared on the blond. Refocusing his stare on the white and blue top's perfect shape, Bryan changed tactics.

Just when Rui was preparing to finally counter attack (while making sure that Shauna had her attention on his own moves), Falborg advanced and hit his attack ring harshly. Mismatching eyes widened as his blade wobbled and slowed down a considerable bit. Said hues locked with the Russian's.

"Your bit beast is stronger than mine, I admit that much. But the way your beyblade is built leaves much to be desired, if you want my honest opinion." Proof to that was the not so small crack on Zephyrus' side. The Portuguese couldn't help but frown at the mention.

"Rui…" Shauna's soft call caused him to look her way even while Falborg kept grinding against Zephyrus' side. She gave him a small smile, "Just be careful, alright? You only have one shot."

_I know._ It hadn't been in his plans to use this attack. No, a weaker, but equally efficient one would do. But with that kind of damage, he couldn't afford much more time beybattling. _And I'm not even sure if I can battle in our next match._ "Disenchanted Wind." He kept in mind that he needed to be fully concentrated. He did, keeping his eyes on the glowing silver bit chip of his blade as it slowed down. Rui made it his objective to keep it spinning no matter what happened.

Bryan caught on to his attack a few seconds too late. _Nice naming…_ But it was done now. A smile crossed his lips as Falborg stopped completely long minutes later. "I didn't think that possible. Making the very air disappear. The acceleration is zero. You don't let me spin faster or slower for a moment. And all you need to do-"

"-is wait for you to tire yourself out. Yeah. A proof of endurance." The other grinned in return, albeit tiredly. "Though you're a hard bone to chew, I'll give you that. But since you didn't know what the attack would do, you were at my mercy."

"Guess so." Theyboth retrieved their tops, exchanged looks again and parted ways.

"Tch. Not your style at all, Bryan." On the sidelines, Ian commented, eyebrow lifted.

"Let it go." That curt sentence gave Bryan's possible reply a premature death. Their captain took a step forward, "We're tied, there was no loss. Now, we shall see."

"Indeed, Wolf." Iris took Rui's previous place as well, opting for a relaxed pose. Even if her body was very nearly tingling with the awareness of the imminent battle. _And I'm sure it won't be as short as the previous two, heh._ Making a show of taking out her launcher and rip cord, then the bit chip held on her necklace, she flashed him a grin, one they usually shared when they were younger.

Much to her pleasure, he lightly grinned back, even if it looked to be a playful, wolfish one. Ah, she knew neither would come out unscathed. But that was just fine for them.

"3!... 2…………… 1!!... Let it RIP!!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"What the bloody fuck are you doing?"

Aleera's piercing eyes made her _**dear**_ sweet sister shut up soon enough, the grip on her wrist still tight and strong, "It's not the time. Not yet."

The younger of the two looked rather sour, but did not complain. On the other hand, she did wonder why they were paired up.

"Shush now. Don't bother. Our task is almost done." The other's voice cut through her mindless muttering though, "Some more time and it will be our turn to act."

"Hn." Marishka ran her tongue over her canines, "We'll have to take her beau, correct?"

"We shall see who goes back and who will attend the finals." They locked stares, "Then, we shall mould the plan given to us accordingly. Any more unnecessary questions, sister?"

She sobered right up, "Non…"

"Excellent. Keep it that way. And ignore the urge to feed off the human's neck while the ritual is not done and over with."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Tyson and Kironi's battle was, for lack of a better term, boring. And left much to be desired from the so called World Champion. It also ended in a blink of an eye.

"But you took advantage of me!! You did!" Still, the navy haired young teen kept saying it simply wasn't fair.

As her two remaining team-mates snickered among themselves, the Korean girl narrowed her eyes, "Tch. Since you have such a high status worldwide, you should perfectly know that one mustn't, under any circumstances, look away from their beybattle. It's the most basic of all rules."

It had started with the boy's blabber about girls and beyblading, if one was to tell the truth. But according to Ten's personal point of view, it was rather well done when Kironi used her Ice Crystals attack on the younger blader as he turned his head when Chief happened to call him for advice. _Ah well… One less combat for us, I guess._

Max changed places with a still sulking Tyson, patting his back as he went while flashing a large, contagious smile towards Forest. The older teen blinked at the sudden motion, but couldn't help smiling back to the joyous boy.

Once the countdown was done and both tops landed on the dirt stadium, Forest sneaked a look over the hyperactive youth. _Shame to see part of that happiness dampen and go to waste…_ But there was nothing she could really do; her team would surely need this victory. _We can't be sure if Ten will be able to defeat Kai or not. By what she told us, they're well balanced. Still, better safe than sorry._ She had full confidence in her captain (if someone on their team managed to beat the Fire Phoenix, it would surely be her), but fate was a rather odd thing to consider. That was why she preferred to play safe above all. _Besides, if we win now, we're in the finals._

She had to be careful, though. Max Tate was a master at defence, no matter how friendly and harmless he might look. But she was no rookie at it either. There were three rules one had to have in mind during beyblattles: if we are stronger, we will most likely win if we hid any weak spots; if we are weaker, we must find the other's own weakness; if we have no clue, we simply have to be creative. And she was very creative; she was creative when she hated, and she was even more creative when she loved. And she loved battling.

_Let's go then._ A low hit from below did nothing; his defence ring even absorbed the energy she used. _Wouldn't do it better. Hmm, what to try next…_ Her beyblade performed a tight turn, heading straight to the darker green one. The attack rings grinded against one another, not giving in and producing sparks everywhere. _'k, so we're balanced. No amount of brute force will allow me to win._ Time to be creative then. One glance at the other beydish told her she was not being analysed, so she could use her attacks with no holding back. But did she really have to?

Sky blue eyes widened, _My speed dropped quite a lot._ A drifting comment from Dizzy and Kenny's reply only confirmed this. Max turned his attention to his opponent. Her style wasn't like her previous team mate's and she held a strong defence. _We're on par._ And he needed to be careful. The all-female team was nice and friendly, but strong. If he wasn't careful enough…

_He's starting to understand it as well. Smart kid. _Even if it wasn't fast enough. _Like I said, better safe than sorry. I won't risk anything at this point._ And besides, truth to be told… She was in her environment. Forest allowed a smirk to curve her lips upwards as the single word sounded, "Earthquake."

A dark glow shined from her bit chip, gone in the next moment. A familiar trembling beneath her feet was her warning, but instead of faltering, she smiled. It wouldn't hurt her, she knew. No matter how good Max was with his defence, he couldn't fight nature like that. And indeed, it didn't take long for the dark green blade to tumble over the cracks that formed and stop spinning all together.

Tyson honestly looked dumbfounded, while Max merely seemed sad. Even if it didn't take long; after it sunk in fully, he smiled and congratulated her, saying it had been the attack he was expecting the least. The Viscera Nigror were in the finals.

"NO FAIR!!!" A chorus of "Shut up, Tyson!"'s and more colourful versions of the same sentence followed.

"It's a mere formality, I know…" a pale hand reached into a pocket, taking out a navy blue beyblade. Its bit chip gleamed with a bright red colour. Kai smirked lightly, "Nevertheless, I still want that battle."

The female captain smirked back, merely amused, "Certainly. I'd love to." At the same time, they both dropped into their battle stances as Max immediately took his place in between them.

"3!... 2…………… 1!!... Let it RIP!!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Lugiohan and Wolborg touched in midair practically as soon as they were launched, descending in a spiral while grinding non-stop against each other's attack rings. If there was any damage, it wasn't seen and neither blader gave anything away.

No, no, they wouldn't. They wouldn't call forth their bit beasts. That would just be too fast and over in an instant. This… this would be decided by endurance, well-timed attacks and strong defences. Just like it had been when they were younger, during the first few years when they could not control them well enough to afford releasing them.

With a small movement of her chin, Iris was determined in not losing neither energy nor time as she urged the black top into an attack. But a smirk on Tala's part kept her on edge in the next nanosecond. _That's never a good sign…_ At the last moment, Wolborg fell to the ground, using the momentum the spinning on his side offered to get just behind her. The grey blade righted itself and charged in, increasing the black's speed even more, right towards the direction of the edge. "Net!"

The black beyblade's chip glowed with a faint white light for a brief instance, before it abruptly changed direction, back to the safety of the centre of the stadium.

In response, Tala furrowed his eyebrows deeply, strong arms crossing over his chest, "Che. I thought we had agreed not to use our bit beasts." His own bit chip gleamed to mirror his mood.

"Instinct. Bad habits die hard, you know me, Yuriy." She grinned his way nevertheless. "I'll make it up to you." Lugiohan increased her speed in the blink of an eye, keeping her distance from the other blade, but staying close enough that, if Wolborg tried to escape, they'd collide. With just the adjustment of the angle within the close circle, a metallic screeching noise was heard and her opponent now held a nasty gash all along the weight disk. Her top widened the circle, now using the very edge of the dish as the other tried to regain the balance in vain.

One of Iris's corners of her mouth quirked up. _A jagged line along your weight disk, the one that gives you your balance, is the worst you could hope for, Wolf. _And he knew it, if the glare thrown at her was any sign of it.

_If I slow down any more, it's over. _So, he did the only thing he could. He increased his speed as bright eyes looked around for something to use against the girl.

But she was having none of it. Her top advanced once more, hitting Wolborg yet again and causing him to spin a bit out of control for a moment. But that also put her vulnerable in a certain way.

Tala smirked to himself. _Heh._ It was risky, but if he let her keep doing her moves and stand by due to the damage inflicted on his blade, he'd surely lose anyways. He waited as Lugiohan delivered a few more blows, scrutinizing every little movement and turn. _Right there. Right now._

Wolborg's attack ring hit the base of the black blade in one smooth move, easily sending it flying into the air. _Without her bit beast, her strength isn't that much of a problem. Her energy must be low._

"So gullible, Yuriy." In half surprise, he glanced her way, catching sight of her smirk that had been born the moment he started paying close attention to her moves. "How come you got so strong in the first place, I'll never know."

Although, Lugiohan did not fall up straight and spinning full force. Quite the contrary, Tala's own attack seemed to have done what it was meant to do in the first place.

Thing is, that last movement took away quite a bit of energy out of the red head. And he had been slowing down before and used his lasting energy to keep on spinning.

Result? It would now take a lot of patience to see who would be the one giving in first when it came to endurance. They both strived to specialize on that area after all. And both tops kept spinning. Saving their energy.

And spinning.

And spinning some more.

And Rui was honestly bored out of his mind as he imagined himself poking both beyblades with a stick just for the heck of it. Zephyrus' own growl at such an atrocity made him snicker silently to himself. And that was when he heard it.

Better saying, didn't. There was something missing. The spinning. He glanced over at the stadium, realizing both blades had stopped and were now resting against each other. _Meh!! I didn't get to see who won after all this time!_

Iris wriggled her nose somewhat childishly, eyebrows furrowed. "Tch. I didn't think it would end like that."

"Oh? Thought I'd be an idiot and send myself out of the stadium?" her opponent lifted an incredulous eyebrow, throwing back Lugiohan at her and pocketing his own blade. "Still, I admit it. You're an excellent training partner, Blachett."

A satisfied smirk made its way to her lips and her right hand covered the area where her heart was, "I'm touched, honestly. Anything else to say, Wolf?"

"Da." The corner of his mouth went up, "Congratulations for winning."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Deathscythe had a slightly bigger diameter than Dranzer. Their weight was probably similar, but that part, even if not overly noticeable, was fact. And according to a few Physics's laws, that little detail will cause her to land after the navy blue top. It also allowed her to throw the first attack.

The difference of landing was not much. Scarce fractions of a second, but that would be enough. It allowed her the time she needed to make her blade land right on top of the other.

What she wasn't expecting was that _both_ beyblades spun out of control. _Crap, I always forget that since I'm used to train with Forest… _A fond memory found its way to the surface, reminding her how exactly had she learned that basic, easily discarded lesson.

««Flashback»»  
The black and silver blade toppled over, coming to a stop. Of course, the glaring of its seven year old owner would not make it restart spinning. "Ack, it works with Ian!!"

The young red head in front of her immediately lost his smug look, downright pouting. If he could, Tala would be bristling, "Are you comparing me to that midget?!"

"Why didn't it work?" but Ten was now confused, noticeable by the biting of her lower lip. "It should have!"

Her training partner sighed in return. "You forget the simplest things, don't you?" he pointed her way. "Deathscythe has left spin." Then his. "Wolborg has right. And Ian has left. It's normal that you lose control every time you use that move on me. It's the exact contrary of your gear, so you can never know how the beyblades will react. Better to only use it on people who also have left spin, you know."

The confusion was cleared. The little girl scratched her head. "Meh… Guess you're right. For once."

"Yeah- Oye!!"  
««End flashback»»

At her order, the black blade landed on the secure ground of the makeshift dish, regaining its balance, slower than its opponent.

"I thought you wouldn't make that mistake when you landed." Kai lifted an eyebrow, an amused glint in his eyes. "All the better for me, I guess."

Both Russians ignored the confused expressions of the rest of the Bladebreakers as both tops seemed to vanish before their eyes. A short game of cat and mouse started, each taking turns and reappearing when those changed.

They would forfeit the need to see which one of them was strongest. They were both raised at the Abbey, they were both strong and it would take an awfully large sum of energy to figure that out. Which would be a waste. Better to just be direct and get on with it.

"Deathscythe."

"Dranzer."

Both bit beasts rose, judging one another silently. Maybe it would be their last move. Or maybe, it would only be the first out of many attacks. But it didn't matter.

Neither needed to speak for said attacks to be launched. Without any hesitation. No procrastination, no nothing. Neither considered the other a close friend, or just a simple acquaintance. But they would not hold back due to their mutual respect.

Their trademark attacks clashed and mingled together in a wide melting of bright reds and darker flashes of colour, causing the remaining bladers watching to cover their eyes. Once it faded, all orbs were back on the match.

_Eh?_ Kironi lifted an eyebrow, glancing sideways to the other captain. _So it's not only talk, I see. Good to know._

Both tops seemed not to have suffered a scratch. Seemed. If one cared to look closely, a few nicks and cracks were seen, but their speed was barely affected. Barely, but it didn't mean it wasn't.

Both attacks were indeed repeated a fair amount of times, most with the very same result. During the last one, all breathing stopped, all action was paused. Even a certain spinning.

"Well, that was… disappointing."

Ten sent a look over to the Korean girl, clearly saying "Thanks a lot". "I'd like to see you do better, oh great one."

"Tch!"

Not even glancing back, her pale fingers wrapped around the familiar metal of the black top once it was thrown back her way. She finally turned around, a serene smile on her lips, "Thanks for the match. I hope it was up to your liking."

"You were worth the energy." The bluenette climbed back up from the stadium, blade back in its rightful place in his pocket. "The proof of that was our draw. Good luck for the finals."

"I guess." She winked in return, "Thanks."

"You done?" Rui crossed the several feet that separated both stadiums, walking up to them.

"Yeah." Forest gave him a shallow wave as he approached. "We won. What about your team?"

The blond male gave her a dazzling smile, mismatching eyes glinting. Ignoring the girl's blush (and not noticing Shauna's partial glare), he nodded. "We're in the finals. Guess we'll be opponents, ne."

"Thing is…" the Korean girl approached them both. "Are we meant to battle here too, somewhere else..? We weren't given any directions about this part, ne Ten?"

"True." Violet eyes ran over the letter given to all teams, finding no information still. "So what should we-"

Axel's tall, lithe form crouching on the ground after letting himself fall off of one of the nearest trees startled them all. Eyes perfectly blank, he wriggled the envelope between his index and middle fingers. "It was up in the trees."

There were no words this time. There was just a map, the logo of BBA, a copy of Brazil's flag and a last good luck, written by hand, by their host possibly. But paying more attention, the sentence "The two defeated teams are to make their way back by contacting the Organization in the nearest communicator." was clearly there as well.

"Bleh, we won't be able to watch the finals!?"

"For once, I'll have to agree with Tyson." Ray wrinkled his nose slightly, "We should be able to watch."

"Rules are rules though. Don't know if they're actually watching us, but it's better if we do as they say." A collective nod was given afterwards.

"Well…" Iris smiled at both the defeated teams, eyes lingering on a pair of mahogany depths. "Guess this is a short-term good bye that will last for a couple of hours."

"Yeah, I'll be bashing and mocking you in no time once you're back and defeated." A thumbs up and Ian grinned up at her. Like usual, she would not be hearing a normal "Good luck." from the midget.

"Sure thing." She turned to the direction the map had pointed before, the uneven path that was currently being hidden from view by her captain, since he wasn't really see-through.

"Let's get going, then!"

The trip wasn't too long. They had reached their destination in roughly two hours. This time, the clearing was rather wide and the dish was a real, dark metallic one, even if oval-shaped. It was rather big too, perfect if one battle got a bit out of hand. Which was probable.

"'k, 'k, 'k…" Tiffany looked around the place, slid down the dish for the heck of it and climbed it back up again, standing on the other side. She grinned. "Who'll be battling?"

In perfect unison, Iris and Ten stepped forward, both locking eyes. "Ack, we both battled a while ago, but I'm ready to-"

"No, you're not. Lugiohan's damaged. Shauna will fight Forest and Tiff will face Kironi. As for me…" For the second time in the same day, all eyes were set on the dark haired, dark eyed captain, who seemed to be trying to lock eyes with the other remaining captain and failing. "Let's battle first, shall we, Ten?"

His blade was leisurely taken out, thrown a few inches up in the air, then caught by nimble fingers. For some reason, her violet hues followed the movement with apprehension. _Something is of…_ Ten also took out Deathscythe out of resignation. Bloody hell, it wasn't supposed to be this way! She would battle Iris and the latter would not be forbidden to do so by her own idiot excuse of a freaking team captain.

:: Hush, mistress. :: she found the creases growing on her forehead start to relax as her bit beast's voice soothed her. :: It will be fine. As long as you still trust me to fight beside you. ::

_Always._

Reluctantly (she also couldn't help but notice an almost pleased glint in Axel's dark orbs among his expressionless mask), she fell into a comfortable stance, both legs slightly apart and tendons tensed, waiting for Shauna to begin the countdown. One more look into the now slightly intimidating eyes of her opponent, the "Let it rip!" sounded far too fast and too soon and in the next instant, both beyblades touched the field, made the first contact and released a harsh, raw wave of energy that even caused the spiky, unruly endings of her hair to tousle.

_This is bad…_

Ten only noticed she was actually shaking when she looked away from the (seemingly one sided) battle and at her own hands. How could it have reached such a peak? How did this happen? How come he hated her with such passion? When had this sudden hatred sprout from? But in her whirling mind, there was only one question (she could not bring herself to think of more): "Why?"

The older, supposedly more mature teen glanced her way, the anger rather clear in his usually calm, friendly, even if bored stare. "Why?" he repeated the question. Such one worded inquiry was clearly not enough to explain this whole situation. Its simple-ness was actually confusing him. "Why am I battling you? Why am I so angry? Why did you use me for such a meaningless act? Please reconsider your choice of words and ask me something concise, Rosa. I'm not a mind reader."

Each question, each **word** sounded loud and accusing, like thousands of fingers pointing her way, blaming her for an unspeakable, unforgivable crime. _It wasn't my fault… You were just.. just there and I… It wasn't my fault.. I felt horrible, I… I needed the contact. I needed to feel, I needed to know.. that I was also a human being. It wasn't my fault! _But she could not bring herself to just say it. Instead, she harshly bit her lip, the sudden metallic and coppery taste in her tongue snapping her back to reality.

Dromme, Axel's blade, was strong, that was her first realization once she focused on the battle once more. Due to her distracting thoughts, Deathscythe was moving back and forth listlessly and carelessly and a great deal of speed and stamina had been lost from her adversary's previous attacks that she had failed to evade or defend herself against because she was simply ignoring the whole thing. Unconsciously, she shuddered. Memories of such mistakes weren't many from the Abbey, but the few of them were all harsh, disturbing and extremely painful.

Refocusing once more, her top's wobbling movements stilled just as a thin cloud of dust rose due to the increasing of speed and energy. And even if it wasn't in her heart to do it, Deathscythe hit the silvery white attack ring head-on.

"Speak to me already!" the shout startled them all, despite not causing Ten's total distraction, since their beyblades kept spending sparks everywhere, neither relenting. "Why did you ask that, why did you even open your mouth!"

Gathering her wits, she finally got the courage needed to lock eyes with him. And nearly flinched for it. "I… I'm sorry.. Axel. Really, I am. I can't say what came over me, I myself am not completely sure.. But please try to under-"

"Try to understand?" his anger was almost palpable and the fact that most part of it was being channelled to Dromme made her own bit beast's strength pale in comparison. "What the hell do you think I've been trying to do up till now?" she did not know that much about him, but she was sure swearing wasn't one of his normal traits. "But what I seriously don't get it is how do you say those words so easily to a person without meaning them!"

'Those words' was the shy, quiet 'I love you' she had uttered to him that night. But like him, she had no answer to that. _Guess it is true… I really was pretending that he was Yuriy._ And now, she honestly did not know what else to tell him. Her next sentence was a meek whisper, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry is just not enough. It never is." Again, the raw pain in his voice was clear, unmistakably clear.

T_here's nothing… I can't.. Net. This is absolutely horrid._ Ten's guilt was already far too much for her to even bring forth her defensive move when Dromme's bit chip glinted and then sent a full attack. With no sort of fighting back, Deathscythe flew out of the stadium and passed by her left cheek, leaving behind a shallow, thin cut on the skin. "T-Time.." a part of her smiled when he looked her way. Good, she needed his attention on her now. "Time will heal it, Axel. I know it sounds unfair, I know. I know you've waited ever since you were little, but.. there's nothing else I can say that will ease your pain. It wasn't right for me to use you like I did. And I feel guilty for that, I really do. But please… accept my apologies."

Her fragile smile was almost breaking. The young man ahead of her seemed to be just ready to strangle her. And everyone else around them kept their silence as if breaking it would kill them all and start the Armageddon.

And just then, Axel reciprocated her little, hesitant smile. "Yeah… I guess I do accept them." He shrugged. "You're right. No matter what you say, I won't listen." When she was about to open her mouth, he was the one locking eyes with her. "It's alright. I merely have to thank you for trying to comfort me. Even if you still failed. So…" He walked up to her and reached over, wiping away the small amount of blood from the cut. "Thank you."

Feeling a lot more accomplished than she ever would if she had won the battle, her smile grew. "No. Thank you for taking such an unbearable weight off my shoulders."

"So glad you've worked this out at last." Shauna piped up innocently, Nevola sitting across her lap in a light doze as the beautiful girl scratched it behind its furry ears. "The atmosphere was really getting a rather nasty pressure upon it and that's never good for anyone. Now, could we continue please?" her free hand came up, running over and along her round, slightly-tousled-but-still-perfect ringlets of light brown and golden locks. "My hair has gotten lighter due to the sun and all, but it's not smooth anymore; I need a long bath and a longer scrub on it." The apparent arrogance in the speech was completely lost when one took in the dazzling smile, perfect white teeth and glinting warm brown eyes. So, what could have sounded rather rude in even Forest's nice tone was not considered at all when Shauna was speaking.

Exchanging a look with Kironi to tell her she'd go first, the green eyed beyblader stepped up to Ten's former place. "Sure. Let's start."

"Great!" the other girl cradled the half-asleep small wolf, placing it down on Rui's lap, which was the nearest. The latter clearly wanted to protest against the new arrangement (it was well heard every time the little fur ball gnawed on one of his limbs, he blond always said the "thing" had an evil obsession with him after all…), but whatever he saw on the hues of his team-mate quickly and quietly made him shut up. The other nodded to herself and turned around, standing across from her opponent. "Shall we?"

In return, Forest smiled politely. "That the best wins. 3, 2, 1."

"Let it rip." Shauna finished in a light tone, even when Ariana hit Lacuna's base with no resentment or sorrow in her eyes with a harsh, clean blow.

The younger girl narrowed her bright eyes, _She specializes in attack? Is it?_ The low base and rather intimidating weight disk told her to keep her defences up though; _Tch, my speciality is in defence. And her design is too. It would honestly be a risk to just pretend to be a master in defence by making your beyblade like so when one is a master in the attack. It would probably compromise one's performance. Does she think she's that strong to actually dare to do that? Or **is **__she that strong?_

The softly coloured blade did a sharp curve, easily running over the thin edge of the dish and charging towards her own at full speed. In return, Lacuna's bit chip glowed with a faint emerald tinge for the briefest instant and the other barely grazed its side. Using raw energy as shield was also a good defence. _Don't underes-_

"Ah, sorry. I did underestimate you, didn't I?" both girls locked eyes, light with dark, but just as bright. The latter smiled pleasantly. "I was just trying to figure out your speciality, don't take it the wrong way. Glad to know you're into defence as well, ne."

Forest blinked in half surprise. The supposed lady across from her had just accomplished what she had been trying to do. "Yeah…" She felt a new respect for her, as well as astonishment. _This one is not as she may look…_

A bright golden colour seeped from the other chip, in contrast to the beige and light pink tones of the beyblade. From it, a long tail, then sharp claws were seen. A gleaming coat of darker and lighter spots could be distinguished, as well as the furry pair of ears. Finally, a beautiful, feline head and long fangs were visible. Casually, the large jaguar licked one paw, wriggled its whiskers, then growled at the other blade, which glowed in return. Its gleaming, groomed tail made to curl itself around its mistress, who tilted her head to the side, "So… Cat and mouse game?"

The other grinned. "Not quite." The emerald glow became more intense as her own bit beast rose, dark and ominous for all to see. One, two, four, seven, nine tails brushed over the air, tousling lightly due to the wind and causing the streaks of bright green on them to catch the light and the attention. Its dark fur did not gleam like its opponent's, true, but it did not make it less striking either. Dark legs were placed wide apart, the threat of claws just barely visible. Its eyes, so much like its Holder's, glinted and lips curled from sharp teeth. A responsive low growl sounded from the black canine. "Cat and dog is more like it."

"Oh, I see." Shauna looked up, observing the foreign beast with a seemingly cool stare, but the Canadian girl could swear it was, in fact, calculating. "Alright, the rules are all the same anyways!"

Without warning, the jaguar stepped forth and jumped in the dog's direction in one smooth, fluid move. But Lacuna would have none of it; his growl becoming more pronounced, he jumped out of the way easily and landed a clean bite on one of Ariana's back legs. The big cat sputtered in indignation and swatted at the other with its claws out, creating four long gashes on the dog's head: one almost catching its eye, other two on each side of its ear and another shallow one. Both creatures withdrew and stared on opposite sides of the stadium, measuring their chances silently.

This happened a few more times, causing silvery blood to seep from several wounds on both bit beasts, both deep and light, wide and small. But both beyblades kept going and spinning fast despite any damage sent to each other.

_She wasn't the one underestimating me. Not as much as I underestimated her._ Forest took a half step back, biting the inside of her lower lip. In fact, her girly opponent was proving to be much stronger than many other machos had been. Well, one would wonder, with the high heels, mini skirt and top… She shook her head. _Ack, focus. If she's not as what I expected, she may have checked out my attack when I was battling Max even if she didn't look like it… Damn, why did I even use it?_

:: Or not, mistress. :: the pain Lacuna was feeling was also felt by her every now and then, a faint aching over the right side of her face, neck and a bit all over her sides and limbs. Her energy was also starting to run low and the occasional wobble on her blade was starting to become more common. :: This has to end soon, you know that. Lady Ariana seems to be strong, but she feels the same. We will only have a few more chances. ::

_I know that…_ And a glance towards the Portuguese girl also let her know that she was aware of this as well.

:: You do seem to be keen on wining, do you not?. ::

Shauna smiled inwardly. _Heh. What if I do?_

:: It's just not normal, mistress. The Praeceptrix is always complaining about that to you. Yet, you're nearly out of energy and you keep going. Is there… a personal reason?. ::

_Hmm._ Her light brown eyes trailed over to the sleeping, snowy white wolf and the boy holding it gently. Rui had given it after a few minutes and was amusing himself by gently pulling a few furs here and there and snickering when the pup shivered in response.

:: Ah. I see. :: Despite her injuries, the girl felt Ariana's feline-like smile. True, Rui may never find out about her feelings, but still, she could try.

_Alright… _On her side of the beydish, Forest took a deep breath. Fingers twitching as she gathered the last few remains of her lasting energy, she focused on her now glowing green top. _Go on. A big one, just one, one last time._ The familiar word was whispered from her parted lips as usual.

The once perfectly neat stadium's metal groaned, faintly at first, then quite audibly and once the first crack was formed, many more followed. But much to everyone's amazement, Ariana gave a last growl and disappeared back into her beyblade, which flew out of the stadium, easily escaping the still forming cracks and into the awaiting hand of Shauna. "Nice battle." The blond grinned whole-heartedly. Despite her aggressiveness, she acted all but that.

Forest sweatdropped. _Sheesh, I really can't understand her…_ "Ah.. Thank you, I guess. I didn't expect that, since you seemed so intent on victory in your first movements."

The other just waved a hand. "Nah. It depends on the opportunity and chances one has." She winked playfully. "I had more openings for those, I admit that. I'm usually defensive, but once I'm attacking, I still have many flaws. That's why Rui's my training partner, usually. 'nyways, congrats!"

"Uh.. yeah. Thanks…"

As she came back, the blond easily ignored Iris's glaring and sat back down near Rui, taking back Nevola. The cub whined at the change of positions, but soon settled down once more once the girl's fingers scratched it behind its ears.

"Nice battle."

She blinked, glancing back at Rui. "Huh? You were watching?"

"'Course I was." His usual flirting smile was in place, but there was a look in his eyes she couldn't quite place her finger on. "You're my sparring partner, ne. Shame you forfeited, though. Ah well. It was good while it lasted. If you had more energy, Romano wouldn't have stood a chance."

In reply, she grinned. "Yeah. Thanks." The peck at the corner of her lips did not surprise her, Rui was just like that. But it made a tingle run up and down her spine nevertheless.

"Tch!" Tiffany stepped forwards, legs spread in a perfect tomboyish pose. "Kironi, isn't it? Let's blade then."

Said girl grinned, pleased. "Sure thing." At least this one was straight forward, slightly cocky, but not annoying like the World Champion. This battle might just be fun, just maybe.

Once the countdown was done, both tops landed smoothly on a different part of the structure that was the dish, evading the large gashes done by Lacuna's previously attempted attack. For once, the blue and black top stayed back for a moment, while its opponent went up and down along the valleys towards it, already attacking.

Tiffany ran her eyes over the girl standing in front of her. She looked confident, calm, a steady beyblader. But the way she spoke with an always sharp tongue spoke of an attack type, not endurance or defensive one.

Yet, the baby blue top kept evading and even absorbing what Ignisithar threw at it.

Well, it wasn't overly unusual. Axel was relaxed, smooth and rarely gave in to the more… primitive emotions, so to say. Yet, his speciality was endurance and attack; he did not stay back and waited to be attacked. Even if he does usually tire out his opponents, but still. Another good example was Ray.

_Ah, well, not my fault. She won't fool me._ A smirk crossed her lips. _I do want to win this after all._ "Ignisithar!"

A distant, yet near neigh was heard as the black and golden unicorn stepped forth. Its dark mane and tail waved in an unknown breeze and its long, twisting horn glinted dangerously in defiance. One of its massive golden hooves pawed once, twice, then the stallion cantered forth.

In reply, a pale blue light emanated from the remaining bit chip, which took the form of a phoenix. Quickly, its talons curled around the unicorn's horn to stop its fast galloping, being victorious in its task.

"Another phoenix, huh?" one hand found its way to her hip. "Fine by me."

Kironi lifted an eyebrow. _Not taking me seriously, are we?_ "You should be careful. I'm not what you'd call predictable, you know."

"Neither am I."

A golden gleam, a resentful screech and Ignisithar was freed easily. It kicked out viciously at the other bit beast, who flew up to escape its anger, then circled in a slow trot around the dish. On the ground, the light beyblade's tip smacked straight into one of the small dark edges that made Tiff's attack ring.

Her turquoise eyes widened. _Shit, that was a bloody attack and I didn't even see it coming from a supposedly master in defence._ Three of her specially made edges were broken, beyond repair. And even if that alone did not put her balance in immediate danger (she had tried again and again for that not to happen no matter what after all), the pressure and force with which she had taken the blow, causing her top to also smash into the dish, had made her speed drop quite a lot. _Can I continue attacking even? If she-_

:: Hush now, youngling. Calm down. Think one thing at a time. :: a warm presence made itself known. From its position, Ignisithar neighed softly before striking Hailey again with full force. :: I will try. If we lose, we lose together, mistress. But do not get distracted now. ::

Yes… Yes, he needed her energy after all. She needed to relax. Her eyes closed and her breathing calmed down. Her hands also relaxed from being turned into fists. Once she was finally ready, her bright eyes snapped open. _Alright. Let's do it._

Kironi was not known by her patience. More like her short-temper, but in this case, she'd make an exception. _She's a hot-headed one, she is… May work for some, but not really for me. Your experience pales in comparison to mine, I'm afraid._ Despite what she was known for, she was observant. Very much so. _Hailey?_

:: Your theory is correct, mistress. ::

A smirk played on her lips. _Excellent. _The energy levels of the equine bit beast rose till they reached their peak and, in one go, it was all released against her own beyblade. And Hailey took it all, receiving her own amount of damage, but still spinning.

The blond tomboy closed her eyes for a moment to let it sink, a small smile on her lips forming afterwards. "Ah. You catch on fast, don't ya?"

"It was just a guess." The other grinned, catching her own top. "I noticed the subtle changes in your energy levels depending on how you attacked. You are extremely vulnerable after that."

"Yeah." She scratched behind her head, the lightest blush on her cheeks, "I'm always getting scolded by Iris for that…"

But Iris barely took any notice of it all. The fact that her team had lost, that they did not win the tournament, that Rui was now shaking Tiff and Tiff was growling and warning him, all in humour's name, that Nevola's muzzle was nudging her ribs, that the small cub was whining, knowing there was something terribly, horribly wrong, that Axel's wise, dark orbs were suddenly on her and the concern entering them, all of it was lost to her.

She only saw her surroundings blurring in a big, unfocused splodge of various green and brown tinges and the ground suddenly coming up to meet her face in a not so gentle greeting. Ten's sudden gasp also did not register.

And then, there was darkness.

* * *

**Thanks 2:  
**Tenebrae Rosa:** 9 bloody matches. Sheesh, I'm tired, ya kno. But there, it's done & it's ready! xP hope u enjoyed it 2**

kia himatari **Ole, welcome 2 my world! Thank u 4 taking ur time & reviewing all chaps, hun. It really is wonderful n.n 'nyways, u got that rite on chap 8, hehe ;)**

**Dark: AH, & even after a retreat of half a year, I give you a cliff hanger!! xDD How evil. Tch, not. It's 18 pages long! & it had to end there, I liked that last sentence X3 Anou, plz review! x)**


	11. Intuition and Instinct

**Dark: I try. I really do. Sometimes I fail. Then tests r knocking. **

Disclaimer/**Summary:** Check the Prologue. 

"..." speaking

_Italics'_ thoughts

:: … :: bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 11… Intuition and Instinct **

A stormy grey pair of hues narrowed in clear confusion, its owner lowering the bottle of water from its lips. The young blader, whose team had lost near the beginnings of the tournament, looked on till near the middle of the large maze of trees that made up the forest itself. _What the heck is that?_

High above it, hundreds of feet away in fact, the clouds, which were till a few moments ago mere snowy wisps dotting the bright blue sky, were gathering. Their pristine colour was now dark and brooding, a deep grey tinge even darker than his own eyes. They circled, one over the other, near that same spot as if they were big distorted, pretty vultures waiting for something to finally die before eating it.

The young boy looked around, seeing that no one really seemed to be caring about it for now; the two defeated teams from the semi-finals – the BladeBreakers and the Demolition Boys - had arrived and no one was paying attention to much else. Curious, he propped himself up from his sideways, laid down position on top of a crate to see better. Thinking twice, he actually got up.

He was barely 14, so his scientific knowledge was limited; one could not expect too much. But even he realized that this was not a nice-looking effect produced by Mother Nature. Well, at least it wouldn't be nice-looking for long. _Looks like a tornado is forming… But that isn't possible, is it?_ It could also be an attack coming from one of the battles in the finals. But somehow, it did not feel right…

"Yo, mate!" the boy glanced down at one of him team-mates, who was currently sending him a weird look. "What're you doing up there?"

How could he explain to others what he couldn't explain himself? "Just… look over there."

That seemed to do it. The rest of his team looked up. And did not turn away. The rest of the participants, curious, started doing the same, until most people in the clearing copied them.

They all kept staring at the odd clouds swirling all around the place, getting bigger and bigger, each time darker and darker. Lightening did not take much longer to be seen either.

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Ten's eyes were wide and mostly unfocused. Legs carried her towards an unknown destination and her subconscious self seemed to have a mind of its own as it followed what felt like Deathscythe's directions, even if she herself could not hear her. In her mind, there were few rational thoughts. _Run! Get away from there, from it all, now! Find him. Find Yuriy. Do it now. _

Find Yuriy.

Find…

…Yuriy. 

In a split second, it all clicked into place. The clearing where the finals were held. The sense of dread she had felt as Iris tumbled to the side with no warning or reason. The vision. Semíramis's vision.

_And Yuriy. The boys. Everyone. They can't go into the clearing, they'll be killed!_ With such a realization, she almost fell flat on her face, trepidation and adrenaline flowing uncontrolled through her system. But by now, she was a good distance away. _I… I have to just trust them. At least, I think so. My instincts never failed me and they told me to run, so why should I doubt them?_

But there was doubt.

_"More than anything, above loyalty, above friendship, above love, the human body and mind strive to survive."_, that was said many times by Iris. Maybe her subconscious remembered that and tried to get away from the imminent doom.

But there was also no time to think of such things. It was time to act. On instinct. Or better saying, to rely on her feminine intuition.

And that particular part of her was telling her to move her ass out of there and make every effort to keep Tala away from the clearing.

With that thought across her mind, her goal was set. Her footsteps on the uneven ground were no longer careless and unknowing, but sure and secure.

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One cool hand covered an even colder patch of skin, previously warm. Worried dark hues watched a paling face, for once speechless and feeling as if he was the youngest of the whole group instead of the contrary. Axel felt very, very lost.

"What… what happened?" Shauna's unsure voice sounded in the silence, letting the thoughts of everyone else present to be known and shared.

"I swear, I only saw her fall…" from a few feet away, Kironi shook her head, eyebrows raised in wonder. "Maybe she got hit by some flying debris?"

Rui snorted at that, "Improbable. We were rather close; if she was hit, me, Shauna and Nevola would surely be as well. Or see said debris anyways. I mean, to knock her out, it must be something big and hard, right? And the dog would sense it coming and start barking."

"Wolfs don't bark, they howl!"

"Well, anyways…" Forest let the sounds of the pleasant bickering between the two Portuguese blonds fade from her mind, "What shall we do now? This can't be normal, right? Maybe she was affected by some virus here or something; she needs medical assistance. Ne, Ten?" However, silence was her response.

At that, everyone but the prone girl looked around, searching for signs of the violet eyed captain and coming out with no results whatsoever.

"What the-"

"Shh."

Angry bright blue eyes turned to Axel, Tiffany's attitude not liking the quick way he had shut her up, "Who're you to shut me-"

The oldest of them sent her a glare, something he rarely ever did, "Someone's coming, just listen."

Indeed, it didn't take much longer until the sounds of snapping twigs and rustling of leaves reached up to their ears. And it did not seem like one or even two people. Quite the contrary; scarily, it sounded like a lot more people. _And if they were here to celebrate with the victorious team, wouldn't they be shouting or something?_ The lack of reaction had bothered Rui as soon as the final match was over, but not really that much. _But now…_

Barely noticing so, he reached closer to Shauna, who stared back at him in turn, the slightest flicks of fear upon her irises. _I swear, Shauna… Let me be wrong about this, but if things turn really ugly, I won't let you out of my sight or arm's reach without you knowing the few words I've been meaning to tell you for a while now._

But contrary to their predictions, only a single person came out from the foliage. Her white blond hair was tightly caught on a severe ponytail, cascading down her back. Upon aristocratic features, dark eyes glinted precariously, dangerously.

It happened so, so fast, Axel could never, if he even knew about it, have dodged it anyways. Not even a single gasp escaped his parted lips as he fell on his side, half on top of Iris's stomach. At the faint thud his toppling caused, one or two heads turned, but it was Forest's high pitched scream that made everybody stare. A small, thin dagger had just imbibed itself right at the juncture of the team captain's chin and neck, allowing the rich, dark red blood just beneath the surface to flow freely and cheerily from the petite, but deep cut. Axel Roth was no longer with them for that moment on.

"Sane(1)… Now that I _finally_ have your complete and undivided attention, I believe it's time for me to concede you all a portion of pity." Her grin was slow and mischievous, amused at their shocked expressions while the last few events sank into each of their minds. It was also deadly-looking. "Leave the Praeceptrix where she is prone now, go away and I can allow you some time to run in advance. If you are wise, you will do this."

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The first thing Tala noticed was the noise. One thing he was very proud of (ah, so it might be one of the consequences of being part cyborg, but let's not go that way, it always leads into depressing moments and thoughts), among others, was his acute sense of hearing, one of the many reasons why he was labelled as "wolf". And something or someone was running full speed towards them, he was almost completely sure of it.

He even looked back at his companions to check f it wasn't just his imagination overreacting after taking a long, hard look at the weirdest show of clouds he had ever witnessed.

Feeling his gaze sweeping over them or for whatever other random reason, Kai, Spencer and Bryan exchanged a look with him, confirming his previous theory and instincts. Yes, it wasn't just him, which reassured him.

Next thing to be noticed by the red head was the colour. Tch, a sudden violet shining through several shades of boring green tended to be catchy. Alright, so soft lilac eyes were catchy in whatever the circumstance was, but that was beyond the point.

Third thing the boy noticed (felt?) was the not so soft contact of someone heading full speed right into his midsection all of a sudden and then the hard ground of the forest digging into his back. Well, all that, plus the change of the greens to the light blues and whites, which seemed to be making up the sky at that moment as the canopy opened for a few peeks. "Net(2)!!"

"Uh, Ten? What the heck-"

Just as fast, the young woman was back up on her two feet again, not at all deterred by her fall. As the quickest reply, she chose to shake her head while catching her breath, then start talking. Or trying to make some kind of sense among the tangles of thoughts that were clouding in her mind at the moment. "No time. Just.. Just don't go into the clearing. Please, just trust me, don't go! Go back to where you were, you'll be safe there."

But instead of the understanding nods and turn around's she had had expected, the clueless and rather confused stares the girl got in return left her feeling exasperated. _I'm trying not to get them killed, one would expect them to follow the hint!_

"But… Well, the clouds and- the host said the match was over, but that there was some kind of system failure, so they didn't know who wan through the camera…" Ray slowly blinked, not sure if they really shouldn't be heading back by sparing a look at the female's scared eyes. An uneasy feeling started low on his stomach, curling invisible thick fingers around him and forbidding him to breathe as easily as he'd like. "We thought we should go see what had happened."

"Yeah, just that." All of a sudden, as if remembering something, Tyson's voice rose excitedly, "So? So? Who won, who won, who won? Who?!"

Only half listening to any of them, Ten opted to just focus on Tala's bright eyes, trying in vain to reassure her rampant thoughts and anxious mind from the betraying possibilities. _They're alive; that spark, that wicked gleam is still there, his irises always adapting around his pupils as his attention changes from one detail to another, as he has always done. He's alive. So relax, calm down now, he's alive and right in front of you. He's alive._ Despite her efforts, her words still spilled from her lips with a speed that was abnormal and uncharacteristic from her usually calm demeanour and kind of speech, "Believe me, please, just don't go any further.. I came here to warn you on purpose… I-I'll go back as soon as you can promise me you will ret-turn and I'll-" a finger stopped her ranting, just as pale as Tala's, but not his. Bryan's.

The lavender haired youth stood right in front of her as his captain quickly (albeit somewhat annoyingly) gave him the needed space. Both hands were then placed upon her barely trembling shoulders. Instead of English, the sharper diphthongs and syllables of Russian reached her ears. "Take a breath." She did, shakily. "Let it out. Tell me, right now, all is fine, da(3)?" She could only find it in herself to merely nod in reply. "Then you can allow yourself to calm down. For now anyways. So that we can also understand you and help you out with this. Okay?"

"D-Da…"

Tala stepped forward. Boldly, with no hesitation, he took one of her hands in both of his, ignoring for the time being her sudden jump at the slight intimacy of the gesture, "Tell us what happened back then. Everything you know."

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From above the recently reunited group, unnoticed, light eyes watched, reduced to mere glinting slits. _I should've known. Lord, I should've known all along, how could I have been that much of an idiot- it's not like me at all! Trusting these stultus(4) humans that know next to nothing about the Balance by showing one of them one of the possible deaths of her amatus(5)… Tch, typical that she'd end up having a mental and emotional break down while trying to save him instead of doing what she __**should**__ be doing: letting the Praeceptrix know she is being hunted and get everyone to safety. Selfish creatures, I wonder why I even bother…_

Silently, the young looking female stepped away from the branch she was perched upon, heading into the depths of the forest. "Really, if something needs to be done, I have to do it myself, no matter how many centuries pass me by."

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"My God- Axel…" out of surprise and mixed dread, Shauna reverted back to her native tongue, almost tripping over her own two feet while standing still. Yet, in the momentary silence of the clearing, there seemed to be no such thing as sound, not even breathing as blood kept flowing, never stopping, staining both Iris and Axel's clothing and the emerald grass below them both.

But the sound of a nearby twig snapping brought the shocked teens back to keen attention yet again. Now finding himself to be the only male left, Rui stepped in front of the four girls, standing in a considerable protecting pose. "What the bloody fuck do you think you're doing?" the usual pleasant and playful tone was immediately replaced by a low menacing growl instead.

"I'm taking control, puerulus(6). That's all." In less than a split second, her eyes were hard and sharp once again. "Now, you either do as I say and leave quietly, or you'll have to face the consequences for your irrational actions. Something I can never understand among your species." A pleased grin crossed her perfect, bow-shaped lips. Which did not fit the killing spree-like expression in her eyes at all.

"I refuse." The other blond gritted out. "I will not run away and I'm going to protect-"

A whistling sound interrupted his speech. And for once, instead of the initial anger he had felt after seeing Axel lying down in such a pitiful state, he did feel fear as his head slowly turned to take in what had happened.

Just in time to see one Forest Romano fall down on her knees, then lose the little, precarious balance she had and tumble to the side. Peeking almost shyly through her clothes, upon her back, was the glistening, feathered tip of a perfect arrow, still moving from its high speed travel. By the position of it and the thin trickle of blood coming from her lips, it had most likely gone right through her heart.

Barely audibly and trying his best not to move his lips much, Rui turned his head towards Shauna and the remaining two conscious girls. "They're many, I can feel their eyes on us and Zephyrus says so as well. There's no way we can fight back without being killed one by one like pigs."

"What's your suggestion then, handsome?"

The lines surrounding his cerulean, even if mismatched, eyes actually softened somewhat, the knowledge that she at least was still there next to him soothing to his nerves and calming his mind enough for him to mentally run his hastily made up plan one more time though mental eyes. _There seems to be no other way, I'm afraid._ "We need to make a run for it. Run in random directions, it doesn't matter, just run. It's our only chance, even if it's minimal." He took a cautious step back. The blond woman facing them all took a step forward in return. "Leave Iris to me."

"They will kill you before you can, before any of us can get to the cover of the foliage." Kironi reminded them, voice shaking ever so slightly; it was obvious that the disappearance of her team captain and now the death of her remaining team mate were very much affecting her. "And it's her they want. They'll get you next for sure if you so much as make a move to get to her."

The young man turned fully to her; a vicious glint was in his light eyes. "I said, leave her to me. She'd never leave me here if I was her. It's my decision."

The two girls exchanged a quick look. Unknowingly, the same thought ran through both their minds. _This won't turn out good…_

On her hand, Velane was not known for being stupid, not at all. _They're up to something. I can see that. Idiotic humans, thinking they can escape us, do they? Think again, younglings. My patience is running thin._ "Your answer, puerulus?"

"Run now."

"Without you?! Out there, alone and with cargo, you'll surely be killed!"

"Just go!!" his voice was now loud and well heard. Startled by the sound of it, Tiff broke into a quick sprint, followed quickly by Shauna and then Kironi, in between breaks of less than a split second. Equally fast, Rui scooped u the limp body of the remaining girl, letting show he wasn't as lazy as he sometimes sounded, and fled behind the other girls as fast as he could.

Once he had the time, he'd forever be thankful to his bit beast for manoeuvring his own body out of harm's way as more arrows flew overhead. Then, sunlight was blocked by the thickness of the tree branches and the weapons stuck to them more than anything else.

He knew this little run would only succeed during the first few minutes while their (very) possible killers were half stunned and shocked by the boldness of the rash plan; he wasn't such a dreamer. But one thing was for sure: among the foliage, it would be much harder to catch them, which was truly an advantage for them as well as his hope. _And I shall protect them. I vow that, Axel, I'll take that responsibility off your shoulders from now on, now that you can't go through with it._ Rui fought back his tears, _You can fully rest._ Bringing the lithe girl's petite frame closer to his body, he made himself as small as possible. The least of his and her bodies' surface was in sight, the least were the chances that they'd be hit.

He would just have to make do. No matter what would happen, this would have to work.

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Every little nerve upon her being was screaming at her.

This was stupid, crazy, a mad, unthinkable decision, one that should not be followed. They had every reason to be running away from here and yet… yet they all were there.

Including her.

Ten never felt more like hitting all the boys' heads with something really hard as she did now. And hers too.

But Tala's reassuring words kept replaying in her mind. And his hands holding hers had left such a tingling feeling upon her skin that she did not notice they were heading to the clearing until she could no longer distinguish the blood red hair from the bright forest greens all around.

Ignorant, proud, imprudent, thoughtless males… _They should all end up hitting their heads on branches or trip on roots and fall unconscious! That way, they wouldn't be in danger!_

Well, that was not quite true.

According to the vision, every human would end up dying. Only thing Ten did not know was the timeline from now to then, something which was starting to bother her more and more.

"Ten." Her head snapped up once again. Electric turquoise hues stared right back at her, a perfect shade, as always. "Calm down."

_I can't…_ "Sure, Wolf."

Soon afterwards all of them paused, a few feet away from the opening that would lead them into the clearing. There was something there, a scent in the air. A metallic one, coppery, familiar.

Blood.

Before either Max, Tyson or Kenny could step forward the remaining teens lifted their arms to stop them.

"You guys should stay here instead, alright?" Having a bad feeling about this all, Tiago took a step forward. He was now very much regretting not coming along with the Dominatrix team. "I'll take a look around first." He took another and yet another step. What his pupils absorbed then, he'd forever wish they hadn't.

"Gods… Axel!!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Perfect crystal. The perfect cup to drink the most exquisite wine from. The Praeceptrix's hometown alone held 36 brands of said dainty beverage, one of her favourites. The best ones in the whole world. _Humans are worth something, at least._ The red wine was her personal predilection.

Also perfect to drink blood from, why not? The Praeceptrix's blood, especially. Maybe it would taste sweeter to her buds, who knew? All she knew was that she couldn't wait for the moment to happen.

Said perfect, crystal cup smashed against solid rock formation, causing her messenger to tremble in fear.

"You have yet to find her?!"

"Forgive our humble, unsuccessful tries up till now, Milady. We lost track on the boy taking her. But we shall find him soon, rest assured."

"Hn. Your opinions are useless to me, you should know that." Her eyes flashed, "You're nothing but my own peons and I am your queen. It's your responsibility not to let the white king or queen get close to me with their weapons. And the king is out of the picture, so that's one less thing to worry about. Lucky you."

The male kneeling by her feet merely kept his stare on the floor, unmoving, though fury was sure to be swimming in his dark eyes. He would not voice it though, not now, not ever. He valued his life. "Ita(7)."

"But you killed another one of them, correct?"

"That is true. The dark haired female is dead."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Tiffany continued to run even after they were out of the forest, yet Shauna stopped just before she crossed the last line of trees. Both her hands grasped the bark of the trunk helplessly, careless as to how the motion bit into her pale skin. _Kironi… Gosh!!_ Absently, one of her hands came up to rub her reddened cheek for the umpteenth time, trying to wipe out not only the blood that had been splattered there, but also the whole memory of it. Again reminded of the sick scene, she leaned over and merely retched. "Rui…" a gasp. "Rui, get out of there." A tear. "Please."

"He'll make it." She was startled when Tiff's slightly higher pitched voice reached her. But no one could really blame her. The other blond was leaning against the opposite side of the trunk. "Most likely, I think. But Iris… I'm not sure."

"We got here by instinct. Let's just believe they can get to safety that way as well."

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Iris prided herself on many things. Being light wasn't one of the main ones, but it was an excuse to brag about something, so she did it. It was a good thing now, Rui concluded, but really, no matter how light a person managed to be, it was very tiring to run with one in your arms if you were running for your life.

Wishful thinking too.

He hadn't seen it coming. Instead of the unsteady ground he had been walking on and watching carefully, his angle suddenly flipped. It happened so fast he'd swear he felt the pain of his back hitting the floor sooner than the sharp blow to his jaw that had blinded him with sudden pain right after.

At some point, Iris carelessly slipped out of his tight hold, landing a few feet away from him. Lucky that she was unconscious, he guessed. With a faint, painful smile, the blond reminded himself that he was in for a nasty beating when she did come around and counted all her scratches and wounds and bruises.

If they got out of this alive, that is.

The heavy foot that placed itself over his solar plexus, the move alone stealing him of his breath, made that very, very clear.

Clapping was heard. Though dazed, he knew it was ironic, on his behalf, "Very good indeed, puerulus. You almost succeeded too. You had that map that was given to you well memorized, you knew where you were heading: to the river. Once there, you only needed to follow its course; it's a shortcut towards a way out. Unfortunately, your IQ is not comparable to mine. Excusare(8), it is quite regrettable."

Ah, yes, that was his plan, wasn't it? His wits weren't as scattered now, Rui was recovering. Still, a major headache was starting behind his eye sockets and sleep was beckoning him closer and closer still. But Iris-

"Do not worry, youngling. We will take care of your load from now on, shall we? There's simply no need for you to worry, I believe. You may rest now."

_Rest… yes, rest. Rest. Axel. By God, Axel was __dead__ and it- Stop it. It's my responsibility now, I __**can't**__ rest. _With a great deal of effort, he somehow turned on his side and gasped for breath; the blow to his stomach was still making him see stars behind tightly closed lids. _Damn._ He reached for his launcher and blade and in reply, his bit beast flashed a dark blue over the glint of the bit chip as if giving him shy support. _We can at least try, old friend._

Velane glanced up from trailing a slow finger over a bloody scratch upon the almost comatose young girl's cheek a couple of meters away. The kid was making a last effort to do something against Fate, his own fate by the way. Why did these mortals even try was beyond the young looking vampire, but she was no one to judge. "I told you, you can just rest. This is your destiny, to fail. Face it with pride at least and stay down." His eyes merely flashed in response. Her own lips twitched; this was highly amusing. "Very well. For the male of your species, you truly have courage. Did you know that, while courage puts your measly, ephemeral life in danger, fear protects it (9)? You should fear me, child." _But I don't_, his eyes seemed to growl out at her as he tried to adjust his angle to shoot the beyblade at her. His movements were sluggish though, due to the ribs that she had probably cracked and the pain his already bruising jaw seemed to be in. Poor creature. "I'll let you live though. For that same reason."

Careless of the supposed danger of being hit head on with a flying top, which really didn't only leave a sting, the woman bent down and almost gently picked up Iris in her own arms. She did manage to send him one last look before mixing in with the foliage and give him one last shudder.

"But beware of our next meeting, boy. I promise you that I will kill you."

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"Come on, come on, people, let's get out of here, nothing to see."

The organisation was doing its damn best to get everyone to safety and actually succeeding. There were rumours that a few went into the forest to check it out for some reason or another, but the ones that hadn't really needed to get out of there. If there was a big storm, which was what it mostly looked like, then it was best that there were as little people in its vicinity as possible.

Although it was curious: meteorology had predicted practically no rain through the whole time the tournament was supposed to last, so where the heck had a full blowing tempest come up? And so suddenly too.

But the true scientific reasons for such a phenomenon passed by the security; their priorities were the beybladers alone. But that did not mean that said scientific community was downright flabbergasted by it either…

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Rows upon rows of her subordinates bowed down deeply before her as she casually stepped forward upon the cave. There was nothing the filthy little humans can do now.

_Not so far away anyways._ Smirking, Velane did a sharp U turn as she reached the ominous altar and looked around.

Despite the big, yet beautiful cavernous space being damp, everyone felt fine, even at peace with the place. After all, it was the largest colony in the planet of their kind. Most of them were all born here.

The ceiling was made of glass and the four sacred bit beasts' images could be seen by the four divisions made upon it. At one end of the room, stood another blindingly white glass. In between the curves and twists, the Praeceptrix's chosen bit beast, Lugiohan, was clearly seen, wings spread in a free flight. _Ah, how I miss the sight… _On the opposite end, darkness lurked. An eerie black mass of glass covered the rocky wall. On it, there was Deathscythe. _You can stay there for all I care. Traitor. _

The whole room gave off an air of a gothic-like church of the Middle Ages, statues of angels to one side, oddly found in the darkest part of the room, and demons on the opposite lighter side. A few of the statues held dangerous looking swords or spears, pointed at each other, their expressions hostile. 

A velvety snow white carpet went over the altar and the cold, black granite ground, continuing on to one of the entrances, a slightly bigger than all others, the one she had just used.

Behind her, two bare-chested pale men had followed, holding a red, white and black bundle, a most precious load. Very carefully, even gently, they placed their cargo on the altar just in front of her and lifted the colourful veil covering it. Growls and murmurs of approval sounded from all sides. After all, the rows after rows after rows of long wooden seats were occupied by a large multitude dressed in foot-length cloaks, not a single spot left.

Satisfied, she glanced back down at her prize. A slightly bloodied and pale version of Iris was laid down, a shadow over her eyes cast by the long chin length bangs framing her face. Her hands rested in between her breasts, fingers laced as if in a prayer, except her index fingers. Both fingertips were placed against one another, pointing to the base of her chin.

"The time has finally come, fraters(10). We've waited for so long for this moment to come and now, all our patience, our time living beneath the surface will pay off. Let us see the one that will bring our race back to its previous glory." That unusual glint on her eyes multiplied tenfold, "One of our enemies, now at our feet, at our mercy."

The people sitting on the rest if the room lifted their heads in unison. The glint in their eyes matched that of Velane's, some licking their lips hungrily, the quietest whisper sweeping over the crowd for a few seconds once more.

The blonde woman's hand rose to silence the room. An uncontrollable smirk danced upon her lips, "And begin, we shall."

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_Axel is dead._

Yet again, Ten ran her hands through her completely dishevelled shoulder-length hair. She was also trying her best not to hyperventilate; that wouldn't help anyone.

_Forest is d-dead… _

She could feel Deathscythe trying to calm her down, to soothe her, tell her it would be better if she thought about how to solve all of this. 

Thing is, even the Russian girl knew that said bit beast knew it would not work.

Not when she was like this.

_K-Kironi is __**dead**!!!_

She quickly pressed a hand to her mouth before the sob lodged on her throat could see the light of day. This would not do.

The rest of the boys were doing their best to bring Rui about. _At least, __he__'s not dead…_ Apart from a handful of injuries such as nasty bruises and scratches, he wasn't in a really bad shape.

And if she wasn't grieving, the strong arm over her shoulders might have been welcome.

But she was indeed grieving.

And Tala didn't like it in the very least. _Well, he can control his emotions better. One of the few perks of being a cyborg, but he has that advantage and I don't! _"Ten, take a deep breath. Every one of us needs to think about this issue. Iris is missing, you know that. I'm sure she's counting on us."

_I know… Gods, I know._ "I-I can't.. I just-"

"You'll just have to try."

"Damn it, it's easy for you to say, Yuriy!" half heartedly, she left a loose fist fall on his chest, her spirit not on it. "So many things happened and…" _And it's my stupid fault for not getting everyone out of there!! If I had just-_

Then she paused. Blinked. Breathed. Thought. No, didn't think. Felt. Yes, felt. _There_.

One of her hands fisted so tightly on Tala's shirt, her knuckles turned white. "Wolf…" her voice was barely above a whisper. "Something bad is about to happen."

The boy frowned. Looking around, he locked his stare on her again, clueless. "Like what? And how can you tell?"

"Just call it my sixth sense. I **know**."

* * *

**(1): **rough translation from Latin that may mean "Now".

**(2):** "No" in Russian.

**(3):** "Yes", in Russian.

**(4):** "Idiotic" or "foolish", in Latin.

**(5):** "Beloved", in Latin.

**(6):** "Little boy", in Latin.

**(7):** "Yes", in Latin.

**(8): **"I'm sorry", in Latin.

**(9): **As much as I'd like 2 say that I'm the authoress of that beautiful sentence, alas, the honour belongs 2 the genius Leonardo da Vinci. I only tweaked it a little X3

**(10): **"brothers", in Latin.

**Thanks 2:  
**Tenebrae Rosa:** Sankyu**

**Dark: ANOTHER one xDD had 2 b. So close 2 the end, it has 2 b. Gomen. & yes, the last scene w/ Velane IS supposed 2 b eerily alike Ten's vision. I like the symbolism x) so sick, aren't I… plz review. **

Next chap!: **The Dark Chamber**


	12. Infinite Darkness

**Dark: ****I'm simply sorry 4 the people who had waited 4 this. But since feedback does get me going and there is little, well… Just hope this piece isn't too boring; the climax is in the next chapter after all.**

**Disclaimer/****Summary:** Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 12… Infinite Darkness**

There was something…

She wasn't even sure what it was, but there was certainly something telling her that some other thing wasn't right.

That there was some other, much more important, thing that was seriously wrong.

But no matter how much Iris actually wanted to see what it was, she didn't seem to find it in herself to open her eyes and get her bearings.

At least, not yet.

She was aware there was someone talking, but her hearing was too muffled to make anything out.

The scent of the place wasn't familiar either; for the past weeks, she was used to the smell of pine trees and foliage and wet earth and weeds and leaves and other random forest items, but not a cool, damp scent… There must be some rocky terrain, because only rocks (and old rocks at that) would have that kind of scent.

Also, there was something pretty cold under her back. It was uncomfortable, but for the life of her, she couldn't move her body.

Despite all these barriers, she could safely conclude she felt as secure here as when she had been back in the Abbey.

Which meant she did not, in any way, feel secure at all.

* * *

"…Tu, quid haberes casta…" (1)

Velane felt beyond pleased.

To be able to be here after so long, in this exact place, as she had dreamed of doing for centuries, was frankly thrilling. Were she alone, she might've summoned one of her young subordinates and have some fun to celebrate, but alas, she had a figure to uphold. She could not skip this, no matter just how much she wanted to. It would only take a while longer either way.

To make sure it all went perfectly well and that no mistake or error could befall her.

"…Cedere tuus…" (2)

Then again, she wasn't about to waste this chance. It had been denied to her many, many times before and she had maintained this position for this long exactly because she was no idiot, even amongst those of her kin.

And this was exactly why she would try to hurry this silly ritual so long as she possibly could. _The faster this is done, the faster will it mean that our kin returns to its rightful position of power. As it should always have been._

A slow smile spread over her lips as the ritual droned on, performed by an elder she had no desire to know the name of. All she wanted from him as that he hurried. And she could catch the delicious scent of his fear for being quite close to her at the moment. _Good. Let him fear me. Let all of them fear me. They should._

Soon, she would be beside their respective Lord once again, in their castle, back on the surface and away from the ugly rocky walls that had been her home for almost as long as she could remember. She would be back in his arms and he would have no need to be hidden even more than they, because he was their brethren's pillar. All would go into its rightful place like a well oiled machine created by the pestilence that was the human race.

"Ornare! Tuus genus, nostril genus…" (3)

And their own race would be their downfall.

Velane had had quite a long patience until this moment, but even that was easily and quickly reaching its limit. It was time.

It was time, the elements told her such, her people... And the quite convenient presence of the Praeceptrix. Yes indeed, the time for change, the time to reign, the time to kill. Yet another grin crossed her lips. Her dark hues dropped to the pale face of the child that would permit all of this to come true. _Ah, sweet silly Praeceptrix… I shall drink your blood in order to have access to your powers. Afterwards, I will be able to control all bit beasts once again and they will have no choice but to obey my wishes. Because my will is much stronger than yours. _

"…cum quo haec vocabulum…" (4)

One hand reached out to twirl a dark wisp of hair between her fingertips. The blond let it tickle the girl's nose almost lovingly, _Once all is right in the world again, I shall finally remember how you felt while in your young lover's arms. And speaking of which, I shall also have my fun with him too. Bathe in his blood when I have the time, what do you think? In theory, you will be together; your blood and power in me, his blood on my skin. Perfection, union. What else could you wish for?_

"Stop this blasphemy at once!"

In the large cave, every single head turned to the door just in time to see it smashing against the smooth stone, the loud noise echoing to an almost unbearable level. Many were the ones who had to cover their ears to soothe their sensitive hearing.

A few feet ahead of said gigantic set of doors, stood a single person.

* * *

That itch on her side had long been forgotten as she followed Deathscythe's directions.

Ten had dropped her question on how the heck her bit beast would know where Iris could be when none of the others could. Dranzer, at least, would be more expected, for she knew her silver eyed friend had communicated with the Fire Phoenix at least once before.

But if she had equally spoken to Deathscythe, her bit beast had yet to tell her. And said bit beast kept ignoring her questioning. So, the mystery remained.

And here they were.

For all they knew, they could just be following the Angel of Death's instincts.

"There're drops of blood on the ground here!"

Then again, maybe not.

_Please, let her be ok. Just… just let her be alright, please._ Pausing beside Tala, who had crouched down beside Ray – the one that had found the drops – to take a look as well, Ten didn't know if she felt anger and rage at knowing that Iris had been taken away and was hurt or if she just had the urge to simply bolt out of there and grieve for the loss of the rest of her team and Axel.

Axel. Axel, the captain of the Dominatrix team, twin of Tiago, a boy whose lips she had kissed not that long ago, who she had taken support from. He really was dead.

Rui took another sip of water, his free hand holding his head, which was on the process of developing the biggest migraine in history. His mismatched eyes glanced at the numb figure of Tiago, that looked as if his world was coming to a stop. It wasn't surprising, really; he had been very close to his twin after all. "Tiago… I'm sorry." His words were spoken in their plain native language.

That seemed to both bring back some of the spark in his eyes, even if it was just so little, and revive the sight of his brother's body. "Don't be, it wasn't your fault. I…" those hues of his, that kept bringing the memory of Axel's to their minds, looked at the youngest ones, Tyson, Kenny and Max. They had became terribly quiet and simply stood to the side, half listening to the conversation, but just standing close to one another. They shouldn't be there. "I'll go back. Take those three with me."

"Good idea. Also, if you can, find Boisvert and Shauna. They should be out of the forest by now if they're not-"

"Got it." Both Portuguese boys exchanged a knowing look between them. They didn't dare saying it. The older of the two turned to the withdrawn BladeBreakers, resuming his speech in English. "C'mon, you guys. Let's get going."

"Wait, say what?" Tyson blinked up at him. "I know this is shocking, but… We're not children. And we want to help."

"Take Kenny with you." Max spoke up, attempted the smallest of smiles. "Me and Tyson can defend ourselves. We trust our bit beasts. You and Kenny are the ones in the worst position. But we'll handle this with the others, really."

Tiago still had to agree, but before he could continue with the argument, Kai broke the silence. "If they want to come, let them come. They are right; they're no children and Dragoon and Draciel will know how to defend them if they must."

It didn't take long for those two members of their group to leave afterwards or for the remaining ones to go on. After all, who knew what Iris's state was? They needed to get to her as soon as possible to make sure she would make it in the end.

Their hurried pace resumed. It wasn't as fast as Ten would've liked because of them being so many and not everyone had a decent enough endurance, but they kept at it, as best as they could. It took long minutes until someone spoke up again, Spencer.

"There is something up ahead."

From there to that "something", it weren't more than five minutes. It wasn't something big or gigantic or any of the kind; just a set of two large rocks, half covered by foliage all around. In between them, there was a slit, an opening, big enough to fit two people side by side.

"Is this it?"

All eyes were on her now and Ten, now remembering that she was the one who had led them here in the first place, made the same question to Deathscythe. After confirmation, which originated a shiver, she merely nodded to the group. Not needing any more prodding or information, Kai was the first to enter. And she would follow if it weren't for a hand catching one of hers.

All she took in was the sight of turquoise hues closing and the feeling of familiar lips covering her own, not gently, but possessively, dominating, and she had no choice but to give in. It was over before she could finish gathering her wits about her, leaving her breathless and dizzy.

Tala wordlessly held her by the waist for a few moments, tightening his arms when her eyes refocused on his once again. "Be careful once you're in there."

"I… I know. And I will."

"We just need to get Iris out of there, remember? Simple as that."

"Yuriy." He finally paused to let her speak more freely. It made her smile despite the situation. "I can take care of myself. Just remember to be careful as well, alright?"

"You speak as if I'm the one who acts before I think."

* * *

There was simply silence.

No one else spoke, no whispers, no old words, no future plans, no movement, nothing.

Until an eerie laugh begun, slow at first, then growing, echoing a bit as the doors' slamming had. It seemed like an eternity had passed until Velane pulled her head back from its backwards position and watched the young woman standing in her way in amusement.

Once, a long, long time ago, Velane might have considered Semíramis a friend. A close friend. Like a sister. But those times were long gone. Their ideals were now eons away, their decisions certainly couldn't be more different and their ways of acting were opposites.

Semíramis was beautiful; her dark hues and midnight coloured hair only accented her pale skin and gave her an almost ephemeral look, as if she were a siren, no more than a mirage. For no one with such dark eyes and hair could have such pale skin and look that pure.

Velane, on the other hand, shared the same dark coloured depths, but her hair was the opposite, even if she was just as pale. She had never had competition for the love of their Lord, not really, but she new that, were Semíramis interested, she would have problems.

Gladly, the only thing that actually made them enemies were their beliefs.

"What do you think you can do by yourself, lady Semíramis?" calmly, she climbed down the altar to stand in front of her. The tension was high. But no one around them turned to them to watch; they simply turned their eyes towards them while facing forward.

"I shall do what I have to do to stop you." The dark haired one's eyes narrowed. "You are making a mistake. I am sick and tired of laying out the many and very real threats to you so that you may see your inaccuracy-"

"Do not forget your place." She snarled. "No matter where we may be, the times, the places, I am still your Queen and you shall treat me as such, with respect! Along with my decisions! I have been very bland to you up until now – you know I could have you exiled at any point I wished – but I decided to let you make your own path. Seemingly, that was my sole fault."

"Do whatever you feel like doing, my Lady. But remember my words: you shall bring our kin to our downfall." Semíramis stood proud and calm, never backing down. "Do you think the sacred bit beast will appreciate your choices? I do not. They did what they had to do. They will not-"

"They shall bow to me when I tell them to, because then, I'll have the power that I didn't have back then: the power of the Praeceptrix. Now, if that is all," Velane gave her a disdainful glance. "take a seat and wait, so that we can resume with the ritual. Shall we?"

"I refuse."

For the first time, a series of nearly silent whispers started nervously throughout the room. Yet, the newcomer never wavered.

Their queen's cold gaze fell upon her fully once again, very serious. Slowly, deliberately so, she added, almost compassionately. "Are you aware of what you're saying, Semíramis?"

"Ita." (5)

"Recte…" (6) Confidently, the blond turned her back on her carelessly. As she reached the altar, she finished. "Dispose of her."

As one, the mass of her subjects rose and the nearest ones circled the defiant woman. All she gave them was a grim expression, then took her pick and attacked.

While killing the few she was lucky to catch unguarded and rather surprised, she reached out with her mind, careless of the danger she knew she was putting herself in. But it wasn't as if she didn't know this had been a suicide mission all along, of course. She did a last duty as her final mission. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to save her beloved kin.

Even as her body was impaled numerous times by countless blades, even as the blood flowed freely from her body and slowly extinguished the life in her eyes, she cried.

Not for herself, not for the Praeceptrix, but for her beloved brethren and the bit beasts. For the upcoming dark times ahead.

"Tenebrae... esse… disper.. ge… re." (7)

And the darkness came, spread, overcame her senses. Her last sight landed, ironically, on Velane and the Praeceptrix, the former with an emotionless mask and the latter fully unconscious and incapacitated of doing anything.

But her mission, her duty, had been accomplished. So, no matter what would happen now, she could at least leave in peace.

* * *

Inside the cave, all was dark and cool and damp and Ten could not quite shake off the feeling that she had been here before.

Once the group had gotten used to the lack of light, everyone looked around and mentally counted the members of their group. After the last two, Ten and Tala, joined them, they resumed their walk.

Outside, on the forest, it wasn't noticeable; the sounds of bugs and birds and the wind and everything else all around them that belonged to Nature didn't let them, but here, they could hear everyone's careful steps, whenever someone would trip over a rock, the closest ones' own breathing. It was both calming (to know you're not alone in such an unfamiliar location) and disturbing (to know there were no other living beings here, only them, waiting to be pounced upon and the feeling of paranoia couldn't quite be ignored).

"Do you really think-" Max winced a little when his voice, though quiet, seemed to echo down the hall and he could only offer sheepish looks when the others glanced his way and hushed him.

But, in a way, they were thankful, since that seemed to take quite a bit of pressure from the older ones' shoulders. Someone had spoken and nothing had happened.

Yet.

Bryan, the second one on the lead, suddenly stopped and waved his arm to catch everyone else's attention. In normal circumstances, he'd merely stop and people around him knew that was more than enough proof that he'd requested silence and attentiveness from them, but he didn't wish for them to run into his back since it was so dark and hard to see already. His voice was barely a whisper, but well heard. "Does everyone hear that?"

Ray tilted his head to the side to look at him fully and still be able to strain his hearing. "You mean, the cheering-like sounds?" now everyone's eyes were on him.

"Not sure if it's really cheering, but yeah, that's what it sounds."

"You could've already said that, Ray." From a few steps ahead, Kai's own whisper sounded; there was just the faintest hint of anger laced in it. Without another word, the rest of them merely caught the sound of his fading footsteps. They didn't take long to follow him.

It didn't take them an awfully long time to find trouble either.

The passage slowly widened, little by little, until they found themselves in a comfortably sized room, not too big, not too small. Their small group took sensibly one third of it.

Yet, they had done little more than look around and notice there were about ten other corridors ahead of them, similar to the one they had just vacated, when they heard hurried footsteps running around.

Closer and closer and closer to where they stood now.

Perhaps it was because they were still in some sort of comfort zone and nothing bad had yet happened or numb with the news of everyone's deaths or maybe it was just Rui that was feeling more hot-headed and determined than usual, but it was indeed the blond boy who stepped forward and launched his blade in a perfectly fluid movement.

The top could barely be seen smoothly running over the closest wall, but it was clear that it hit the target, because almost as soon as a large tall man appeared in the door way, he was hit and fell over quite noisily, sprawled on the floor.

"Could've been quieter… but it did the job." Tala barely lifted an eyebrow. "So, which passage?"

"It would be best if we separated. And don't be caught off guard. These motherfuckers are very fast and strong. Don't underestimate them." Rui's narrowed eyes glinted dangerously. If there were any doubts left, now everyone could be completely sure he really was beyond pissed. It wasn't a very usual behaviour for him to curse at every chance for no reason. That was Iris's usual behaviour.

"I agree with that plan." Running his hues over the corridors once again, Kai quickly counted them down. "Seven. Seven passages. I say some of us go in pairs while others continue alone."

"I'll go alone." Rui's tone left no room for argument and no one dared to start one.

"Max and Tyson will go together," The slate haired captain added, "and I'll also be going alone."

Before he even spoke up, Tala felt the sole female's smaller frame mould to his, her back to his chest. He still locked eyes with their two current "leaders" though. "We'll be going together then."

The four remaining, Ray, Spencer, Bryan and Ian, glanced among themselves, aware there were only three halls left. It was the lavender eyed boy who took the initiative and took a step towards the black haired one, glancing at his other two team-mates over his shoulder. "You'll be fine on your own?"

The tall blond merely raised a single eyebrow casually. "Don't insult me. Or Seaborg."

"Same here."

With that said, Rui pulled away from the wall. "Let's not lose any more time then." When passing him, he kicked the guard's skull none too gently and chose the corridor said enemy had ran from, not turning back once.

* * *

Tiffany looked on in desperation as Shauna proceeded to choke poor Nevola half to death. The small wolf cub had run away at some point after the mad chasing they were forced to make, a very good thing.

But only when the hazel eyed girl had seen the little pup come out of the foliage, running full speed, did she remember that and now she was blaming herself for forgetting about him in the first place and making a rather pitiful sight.

Sighing, Tiff shook her head and patted her back, then ruffled Nevola's fur fondly. "You ok?"

"Do you think I'm ok? Are you?"

"No."

"Then there's your answer, Tiff." Her shoulders shook. "Sorry, didn't want to sound so cold, but-"

"It's understandable." Her hues, usually so sarcastic, cool, in control, softened for her friend. "You don't have to be strong; no one's saying you have to."

That was all Shauna needed before burying her face in the wolf's soft white fur. The single sign of her crying was the shaking of her shoulders and the wet fur, which Nevola didn't seem to mind much. He actually seemed to sense she needed him there, for he had yet to move.

Again, the dual haired young girl sighed. _Axel… why did you have to be gone just like that?_

* * *

Like they had suspected, these corridors were just as long and just like the first was. And Rui still didn't like it one bit.

One more guard…

Two…

Three…

He held no emotion upon his features and Zephyrus barely had to do a thing, because he knew how to keep to the shadows and use the element of surprise. Rui was strong and, even if, perhaps, Axel had been just as strong, he was never off guard.

Perhaps it was the consequence of being on a football team, because there, everyone had to be on the lookout; on the field, it was one for all and all for one, but out of it, no one was safe from their team-mates' joking. This was no joke, but you learned to always be on your guard with silly things and this was just another example.

In all honesty, it didn't take him long at all to reach the end of the corridor. He peeked around the edge carefully, holding his breath.

Slowly, that same intake of breath was let out, shakily, consequence of the sight of what his eyes took in.

* * *

It didn't take much time really, just a few moments, until Bryan's hand rose in front of Ray, who quickly stopped. Contrary to the other time just a few minutes ago, Bryan knew he had no need to have the other beyblader notice him in that same way; he could feel the White Tiger had most of his attention on the cave and sounds that surrounded them but a part of it was also on him.

"The sounds are louder here. And it's clearly chanting." To prove his point exactly, it was the amber eyed boy who spoke up first, whispering just loud enough to be heard. "Also, there're some people coming our way."

"Yes. Stay out of sight for now. We don't really need to make a mess; all we want is to retrieve Iris and get out of here."

Perhaps it was because they had battled together in the finals of the World's Cup or because their combat style complemented each other's, but for whatever reason, it was with a wordless agreement that each boy slinked towards the corridor's slightly curved and damp walls, the Russian to the left and the Chinese to the right. Thanks to the darkness and the rough composition of some of the rocks jutting out here and there, the three men that scurried past them didn't even detect them. It helped that both had the common sense of remaining completely silent, motionless and held their breaths for long seconds before and after they passed had by.

The same hadn't happened with the two youngest members that had partnered together.

Barely a foot away from Tyson, one of the two men who had been running in the opposite direction, the noise's direction that they had yet to know the source of (which had been the sound of their first scout falling on a dead faint), stopped. He scented the air delicately and when his jaw line was more prominent, which meant he had turned almost fully towards the navy haired boy's direction, Tyson couldn't help but wince a little.

And that little, almost unconscious movement was more, much more than enough to catch the attention of the obviously older male. Bright dark eyes immediately landed on his frame, glinting, and a slow, dangerous grin was born, allowing the sight of two long, pearly white canines peeking out. "Oh? Qui haberemos hoc?" (8)

_Damn it._ Just before he looked to the side and took a deeper breath, hazardous smile still very much in place, possibly in order to call his companion, the current World Champion took out Dragoon and his launcher.

In any other time, he would've gloated away while knowing he was actually pretty fast in doing it, faster than he had ever done it before, but the adrenaline rush he had running through his veins left little space for such thoughts. He was even quicker in his launching.

The same reactions occurred to Max, sweet, gentle, innocent Maxie, the one that had offered the idea to hide in the first place and now watched on, with growing dread, the way this guy stopped and turned towards Tyson. He didn't know how it happened, but next thing he did pick up was the man's deep voice, the foreign language, and he noticed Draciel was in its place, ready to be launched with a deft motion of his wrist. Which he did.

If there had been a counting down, the pair would not have launched more in unison.

Dragoon failed its target, the stranger's hand, which held a pretty wicked looking spear, but the spinning blade did catch his attention and, instead of shouting out for his partner, he stared in surprise, blinking.

That made him drop his head, which left the back of it unprotected: Draciel's target. With uncanny precision, the green top hit that fragile spot, that zone just between cranium and vertebrae, those nerves right beneath the skin.

It led into a domino-like effect. The man snapped his head back up, murderous gaze landing on the blond boy, only to have said ferocious hues roll to the back of his head as he fell to his knees and, finally, dropped to the hard ground. The still flying blade hit the opposite wall, barely inches away from Tyson's cheek, then rebounded back to its owner's hand. The sharp metallic sound brought said tanned bluenette out of his thoughts.

As did a questioning tone from the other person further down the corridor, possibly wondering what the heck happened to his companion who was supposed to be running right beside him.

The two boys didn't need another warning that danger was once again breathing down on their necks and they promptly broke into a sprint.

* * *

Being short definitely had its advantages here and there.

Ian was perfectly aware of that.

Oh, he still complained about it, mind you; but now, it was more of a joke amongst his closest friends that they enjoyed to indulge in, particularly Spencer, since the difference between their heights was nearly laughable.

This was just another situation where that fact was confirmed again.

Up until the particular point where he got out of his current hiding place and the very, very familiar sound of a beyblade spinning caressed his ears. _Fuck._ Looking down, his fears were confirmed by the faint reflection of what feeble light there was that glinted off the bit chips. There were two of them, like there had been two guys running. _Theirs?_ Perhaps.

But shouting and the sudden stopping of the running footfalls confirmed that theory of his.

Nevertheless, Ian still let a smirk show and let it rip as well. Didn't matter. He would only be delayed a little, no big deal.

And while Wyborg smashed the closest enemy's attack ring, his sensitive ears caught on to the telltale sound of more blades approaching. He attempted to dodge, but one still caught the back of his shin and a coppery smell filled the place. The smirk still didn't left his lips though. Even if it had briefly been replaced by a wince.

The shouting was now louder. So were the footsteps.

_Ok, Wyborg… Maybe we'll be here longer than we had expected we'd be._

Unknown to him, Spencer's own actions and thoughts were running along those same lines.

* * *

Back to back, both their spinning blades furiously doing laps around their feet, the pair of them could do little more than glare and grit their teeth.

Fuck, they really were outnumbered.

Yet, a smile still managed to come to Ten's lips. "Yuriy?" Said redhead did not reply to her, but she knew he was listening. "Promise me you'll get out of here alive."

"Only if you promise me the same, idiot."

They exchanged a stare and a stare was all they needed. In each other's eyes, there was the certainty that they would get away. If only to just get Iris away from this place, they would.

So, it didn't really matter that they were only two and there were six, perhaps seven, or nine men standing in their way, both ways (since they had fooled some at first), because they would make it. They had to or this would have been in vain. And that simply could not be.

With such thoughts running through their minds, they silently ordered their bit beasts to unleash their respective attacks, ruining someone's defences, another's attack disk, one's base, barely noticing that, more than once, they completed each other's attack and/or defence, keeping up in perfect synchrony and never faltering.

Slowly, but surely, they became weakened. But likewise, they were taking care of these guys.

* * *

Finally free of the clutches of the latest figure that had stood in his way, Kai allowed himself a brief moment to catch his breath, barely reacting in time to catch Dranzer when the fiery phoenix's top flew to his hand.

That done, he walked the few last feet left to reach the quite large entrance he stood in front of, looking around the enormous room in the depths of the cave.

The ceiling was made of glass and – no, his eyes were not mistaking him – the four sacred bit beasts' images could be seen by the four divisions made upon it. At one end of the room, to the left, stood another blindingly white glass. In between the curves and twists, Lugiohan was clearly seen, wings spread. On the opposite end, there was just darkness. An enormous black monstrosity that looked like glass covered the rocky wall. On it, there was Deathscythe.

The whole room made him remember the Abbey, his own mansion and, more remotely, History books, with its gothic-like aspect of the Middle Ages, statues on both sides, of angels and demons. A few of them held creepy swords or spears, pointed at each other, their expressions downright hostile.

A velvety snow white carpet stretched all the way to the altar, over the cold, black granite ground, starting on the exact spot he was standing on at the moment. On the edges of the material, there was black writing, which seemed to be Latin. Every once in a while, the word "Praeceptrix" stood out against all others, since it was lined with a blood red colour.

Matching it quite merrily too and contrasting with the ivory of the thing, there were a few scarlet droplets. By their position, shape and quantity of the liquid, it would not take a genius to understand it was blood.

Fresh blood, at that.

Nevertheless, the slate haired teen tried not to look at them too much and moved on, fully entering the ominous room. He focused on the altar, where he could detect movement. And he quite literally stopped breathing.

After all, in such shock, what else could he do when watching someone cut open the wrist of someone – dare he say it – he cared for?

...TBC...

* * *

**My attempts at ****(poor) Latin:  
****(1): **"You, who has pure..."

**(2):** "Allow your…"

**(3):** "Glory! To your race, to our race…"

**(4):** "With these words…"

**(5):** "Yes."

**(6):** "Very well."

**(7):** "The darkness is spreading."

**(8):** "What do we have here?"

**Thanks to:  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **I prefer it that way, actually. I know it might be confusing to some, but it's my way to let the reader know the various scenes are happening at the same time. Otherwise, the timeline would be ruined x)**

**Dark: More symbolism, I know. I like it, so sue me. Please do review.  
**


	13. Frustrating Ignorance

**Dark: Pfft, change of plans. Ha. No climax here xD Better saying, not quite. Just read, you'll see. Thought this way it would be much better. Then again, that's just me saying. Hope you enjoy. It's longer than the last. And don't forget to review, please.  
**  
**Disclaimer/****Summary:** Check the Prologue.

"..." speaking

_Italics _thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 13… Frustrating Ignorance**

Iris wasn't sure what awakened her.

Sound. The sounds surrounding her? Perhaps; there was loud shouting, stuff breaking or, at least, falling to the ground, running, some inanely loud beeping, harsh breathing that came and went and- was that the sound of rotors from a frigging helicopter or just her stupid imagination?

Touch. She felt several muscles trembling as soon as she took notice of several pairs of hands on her. Such a thing was bringing unpleasant memories back, which she would be very happy if they would stay buried down. Both her hands felt as if thousands of tiny ants were attempting to make them their next meal, for she could barely twitch her fingers; there was something on her wrists that was cutting off her circulation. There was also some stinging upon the whole length of her legs, which left her wondering.

Taste. Her mouth felt like cotton, that really dry one, and her throat was just like a piece of old parchment. Her tongue was sluggish, as if she had slept for a really, really long time and didn't move it once and she could swear she tasted blood upon it.

Smell. She could smell the freshness of water nearby and humidity was heavy in the air. And antiseptic. Yes, medical equipment was there and most likely on her, because the scent of Betadine was almost too much to bear and alcohol tickled her nose, making her wish she could move to the side to cough decently. But her dried throat wouldn't let her either way.

But what scared her the most was her sight. _I… I can't see.. I can't see._

She simply couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, just receive the little stimulus her eyelids allowed, like the abundance of whites or beiges or yellows or **something** that was light coloured above her, then other something (some _things_?) a bit darker moving too.

And then there was a painful puncture upon her chest, off to the left, the feeling of _glass_ being thrust into her and– (_Wait, was that an inject-?_) But all thought suddenly stopped and she could see clearly now, was sitting up, harshly gasping for breath as if she had just did the whole fifty something kilometres for a triathlon competition in about two seconds and two hands held her torso gently, but firmly, one on one shoulder and the other upon her upper chest.

A friendly face suddenly popped into her field of vision (it was just made of the length of her bandaged (_Bandaged?!_) body half covered by sheets and that was it) and Iris knew this man was a young doctor, had to be. He spoke in Brazilian, a bright smile upon his lips.

"Welcome back, lass! Sorry about the suddenness, that was an adrenaline shot I just gave you, directly to the heart. Bet you feel tired as heck, but it'll pass, no worries. Although seeing as you wouldn't wake up, I had to take harsher measures."

"I… I see… That's fine. Thank you, I guess." Absently catching her breath, she young woman looked around. She felt very confused. As a result, she brought her legs up to her chest, a habit she still had as a child, one Yuriy mocked her about-

Her breath hitched.

In that split second, the more recent memories of what had happened in the centre of the forest, at the finals, came back to her.

Kironi and Tiff's battle. Kironi's victory. Viscera Nigror's happiness. Rui annoying Tiff. Nevola. Axel's eyes looking at her in worry. And then, absolutely nothing.

Nothing at all.

_Was I knocked out? Did I faint? What… happened?_

But no one answered. Not even Lugiohan. Another painful tug upon her chest made her realize this harsh fact; she could **not** feel her bit beast.

"Where…" she hopelessly looked at the doctor. Then at two nurses who were leaning over her improvised bed. Improvised, because she was on a spacious helicopter, she had noticed that by looking out of the small squares that were the windows and reconfirming the noise of the metal blades that were the rotors of the aircraft. "Where is my team? And the winners of the tournament?"

The smile on the good man's lips faded a little and the three adults exchanged a look. That only made the fear and dread in her stomach to twist and churn some more.

Iris bit back a frustrated yell and slammed her palm upon the metal bars of the medical bed. "Please, just tell me something! Anything!" that action caused the very, very tight bandages upon her wrists, pristine white, to be speckled with little red dots, slowly growing. One of the nurses immediately tended to it.

"Well, Miss- Uh, Blanchett, you see… there were a few… complications, I'm afraid."

* * *

By the time she reached the nearest (bloody, fucking, **stupid**, so _**far**_,_** far away**_!) hospital, Iris was a pile of nerves.

Everyone in the now too small (claustrophobic!) helicopter refused to give her any concrete information. Just random "I'm sure they're alright, dear."'s or "You were in a more delicate situation, thus, you were our top priority. They're right behind us."'s or even a slightly more supportive "Oh, honey, they'll soon be ruffling your hair and you'll wish you could just kick their behinds!" from the doc.

But no confirmation left her with only hopes and she was not a very hopeful person. She couldn't help herself, she started imagining the worst scenarios.

Not even when they had invaded the (cursed, deranged, nasty, horrible) Abbey (_Was it only last year or so?_) did she feel quite like this, so negative, so nervous, so-

Afraid?

It had been a while ever since she felt such fear. Around the last time she had set her eyes on Boris, perhaps. It was a renewed feeling to her, as had been loving someone, Kai.

Several more doctors came by her room and went. Despite Brazilian only being a mere derivate from her language, like the derivations and changes from English to American, she understood about four out of ten words they said, with all the long, weird names of their treatments/medicines/material/whatever else that had to do with taking care of her. One or two gave her about three (_Four? Six?_) cups of water with some powder mixed in for her to take, which she did, and a female one smiled pleasantly, before plunging two injections near her hips, from her back. The last one made all the muscles in her left leg to twitch reflexively.

She made a mental note to glare at that particular woman whenever she happened to pass by.

Some nurses helped her out of her tattered (_Were they really like that? I don't... remember…_) clothes, gave her a clean baggy shirt and pants (from the hospital, most likely), changed the bandages that were turning pink and/or red once again and told her to get some rest.

Whatever the nasty concoctions that she had to take or the injections had, Iris actually found herself drowsy. She did not want to (she had specifically bugged every single nurse to tell her everything they knew about anyone from any of the four teams – Dominatrix, BladeBreakers, Demolition Boys and Viscera Nigror – she had enumerated, anything at all), but one could only fight the heaviness of the eyelids for so long, before giving in.

The darkness that surrounded her this time had a soothing touch to it, gently calling out to her, embracing her in its warm arms and, regretfully, she welcomed it.

* * *

When her light silvery blue hues reopened once again, her worries jumped to attention under her mind's eye and she sat up immediately.

A big, rising wave of pain to her head gave her little warning and Iris could only close her eyes tightly and moan while she waited for its passage. She concluded it wouldn't be so painful if she lied back down, which she did.

The window, by her left side, the side she had turned her back to, had the blinds down, but she could make out the colour of the sky.

It was bright, bright orange. Blood red, with hints of violet wanting to peak through, was another colour that could be seen, but the majority was indeed orange. Her eyes squinted when she found half of a globe that was meant to be the sun.

It was setting.

That meant it was evening. Christ, she had slept through the whole afternoon! Seeing that she arrived to the hospital around mid-morning or so.

The young woman glanced at her white-covered frame. That made her look at her bandaged wrists. She turned them around.

On the inside of them, a small half circle of small red dots had appeared again. They seemed to form a cut. _My wrists were cut open?_

Carefully, she touched her cheeks and features. One or two patches, nothing unusual. Then her neck, where she also paused when she found another set of bandages similar to the ones on her wrists with her fingertips. _My neck too!?_

Iris took a look at the door. The door stared back listlessly and didn't move, as expected. So, she took the collar of the shirt and peeked at her torso. Another patch just above her heart, possibly from that adrenaline shot. But there was nothing else that hadn't been there before. It was the same with the rest of her.

It was only then that she noticed a short letter on her nightstand as she carefully turned away from the window so that another surge of pain didn't irritate her.

Hope flourished in her mind. Maybe…? Just maybe!

Hastily, she took it and read it over in breathless seconds.

Just as fast, she threw it away from her, gasping.

The letter, being made of paper, didn't take well to being thrown away and landed on the side of the little bed. With an anguished exclamation, Iris kicked it away violently, having the satisfaction of hearing it land upon the cool, linoleum floor.

But the words written there seemed to print themselves on her mind.

_Miss Blanchett,_

_We have been informed by our colleagues that Axel Roth, Forest Romano and Kironi Ngo were declared dead._

_Rui Denzel is in critical condition and is currently in Intensive Care. He was accompanied by Tiago Roth, on another helicopter._

_Tyson Granger, Max Tate and Kenny are due to reach the hospital past midnight; their injuries are not severe and are travelling by ambulance._

_This is all the information at our disposal about the teams you've mentioned up until now._

_Our sincerest apologies._

_The Head Nurse,  
Naïde Araújo_

She was glad to know Rui, Tiago and three of the BladeBreakers were alive and sort of well, she really was.

But knowing about Forest, Kironi and, most of all, **Axel**'s deaths left her nauseous. She had little time to double over the side of the bed and retch whatever contents her stomach contained.

* * *

During the next hour or so, her imagination did not help her at all by creating all kinds of images in her mind's eye. Again.

This not knowing about the rest of her friends was sending her nervous system into overdrive, so much she spun her head around too fast for her headache when the door opened and someone cleaned the mess she had made on the floor. Iris cursed herself yet again when noticing she was gnawing on her fingernails. Again.

Her hand, as if it had a mind of its own, simply caught a wisp of her hair and started twirling it over and over again with a remarkable speed and deft.

"And you say you hate the way your hair tends to curl." That was what Kai would say while shaking his head with an amused smile upon his pale lips. "If you do that, it'll only curl even more, idiot."

She stilled the movement of that rebel hand, her head dipping low, and in a moment of raw anger, pulled harshly. All she got was a few black and red hairs on her left hand.

_I'll go insane if I stay here._

She couldn't bring herself to fall asleep, not with so much uncertainly dangling in the air. Every time she closed her eyes, everyone's face would spring up and haunt her.

And Iris couldn't take that any longer.

So, the young beyblader stood up, carefully placing all her weight on her legs so that it wouldn't cause her to fall over.

There were no IV's in her arms or anything of the kind – the medical staff considered her well-nourished, it seemed – so, she had no trouble while crossing over the room, opening the door, getting out, then closing it again.

Iris looked up and down the hallway, (_I've no idea where to go._) but luckily, at the end of the half to her right, there was a plant of the building. _Bingo._ She reached it easily, crossing only one or two people whom she thought were fellow patients.

Easily, she found the correct way and headed towards it. Gladly, the Reception was not too far away. This was the third floor (the ground floor was for the E.R. and said Reception, first floor for surgery and Intensive Care by what she could figure out, second floor she made no attempt at finding out), so a small trip by elevator was in order. From then on, it would be easy: straight forward, then left.

Iris only needed to be careful about possible nurses looking at her too long, lest they drag her back into her room where she was sure she'd throw herself out of the window out of sheer frustration.

_I just wish to __**know**__ something more, damn it, is it that hard a thing to ask?! I didn't ask about the well-being of eight people, I asked about the well-being of seventeen!_

Alas, but the stupid lift stopped on the first floor. Things never go your way, do they?

A couple of doctors came in. One of them sent her a curious look, but his attention was diverted by the other's words. "Ah, sorry, which patient were you talking about again? We got so many in the last couple of hours I'm starting to get confused. Heck, I'm only an intern…"

The one speaking previously, an older man in his mid forties, glared at him in that universal way of saying "you **better** pay attention next time, sonny, or you'll answer to me later". "The young man in Trauma 6. Bryan Kuznetsov?"

Just before the doors of the lift closed, Iris stuck her arm out, stopping it, and got out of it, pushing at the two doctors while ignoring their "Careful, young lady!"'s and whatever else.

_Bryan… He's here then. Trauma 6? Then he's being treated._ That gave her a little more hope, which was always good. _Thank you._

Half-way lost, she wandered the first floor with wide eyes. Most people there were always in a hurry and/or yelling, so she didn't particularly stand out. Their clothing was also white, like her baggy clothes.

But for the first real time, she was thankful Brazilian was so alike her native tongue.

"Silly girl, that's meant for Trauma 2! Go, go, go, before you cause that woman's death! Gawd, these students are worthless!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Iris noticed a young woman, really just half a dozen years older than her, leaving one room while stumbling with apologies left and right and, with her arms full of plastic tubes and latex gloves and god-knew-what-else ran down a hallway to the right. She didn't waste more time in following her.

The dislocated patient was also quick to find that just because Trauma 2 and Trauma 6 had the same first denomination, it didn't mean they were near each other. But she kept walking. She even allowed herself a small smile when passing by Trauma 4, even while some other doctor declared his patient as a lost cause.

Just a few feet away, the letters with the name "Trauma 6" were on, meaning that it was being used. Gulping, she approached the large window there. Gladly, the blinds weren't shut.

There were only a few nurses there that, just like happy bees, didn't stay still for longer than three seconds. Iris found she could only catch glimpses of whoever was in the bed, Bryan or not.

But yes, it was indeed Bryan. It had to be. She could recognize that soft colouration of his hair anywhere, unmistakable as it was.

The machine monitoring his heart showed the steady rhythm of someone who was clearly resting. Even if there was a tube in his mouth, his expression was relaxed, despite its few scratches and a gash on his forehead, dealt with two stitches. His right arm was broken, if the telltale tight bandages and plaster had anything to do with it.

That stupid message was rising up in her mind again.

_"…informed by our colleagues that…"_

_"…were_ _declared dead…"_

_"… in critical condition and is currently in Intensive Care…"_

_Oh my… what __**happened**__ while I was out??_

Why wasn't there more information?

Why had she fainted?

Where was Kai? And Tala?

Was she knocked out?

And her bit beast? Her beyblade wasn't with her, what happened to it!?

Was it all _**her**_ fault?

If it was, Iris didn't think she could take the responsibilities and weight of it all upon her dainty shoulders. She felt a migraine coming already and a break down starting to wave its grubby, little fingers her way.

Then, in a sudden realisation, a voice rose above the pain and worry and will to start hyperventilating. _Intensive Care… That's on this floor._

Iris turned back around. She felt as if she was being commanded; living this experience out of her body.

_This can't be real… It's a dream, a movie…_

Once again, she stared at signs and tried to make some sense of them, praying that her sense of direction (or lack of it, as it was) would give her a break and would actually help.

Seemingly, it did, about twenty minutes later.

She saw many people in that hospital unit. She saw a lot of tubes and IV's and blood and odd liquids and unknown faces of all ages, but she kept going. Iris needed to see one familiar face that she was told was here. If it wasn't, well…

She almost wished she hadn't found him.

Rui was someone she knew not for a long time. She had known Axel before being kidnapped and little else. But the Rui she knew didn't stay still. The Rui she knew always grinned and smiled and joked about everything and nothing.

The Rui she knew could not be the Rui she was now staring at. A pale Rui, deathly still, with a frown marring his features even in his sleep. He was breathing on his own, contrary to Bryan, just had a thin tube that went around his ears and to his nostrils so that he could, probably, breathe in a higher percentage of oxygen.

But there were quite a few bandages spread around the room. She could see little skin on him, courtesy of the blankets, but what she could see actually seemed covered by the same type of said bandages. He looked pretty-

"Just like a mummy, isn't he?"

Iris lifted a hand to her racing heart, glaring at whoever had spoken by using the glass of the window. Her smiley doctor smiled (again) in return.

"You should be resting, lass."

"I'm… sorry. I couldn't stand being inside that room any longer."

"Ah. I see. Is he…" he nodded towards Rui. "your friend?"

"Yes." She took a deep breath. "A team-mate of mine."

"Hmm. Well, mid-afternoon, I'd tell you he was done for." At her started look, he lifted both hands in a sign of peace. "Hush, lass, remember, rest. He is much better now."

"Just that? Better?"

"Well…" the man sent her a gentle look. "I'll tell you more with certainty when we come out of the O.R."

"He needs an operation!" Iris quickly looked back at the blond young man. She could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, but she fought them back. "He looks… ok. I think… Calm and-"

"He has a broken rib. That rib caused him a nasty internal bleeding. He was lucky his lungs were intact." The doctor sighed. "We have been waiting for him to get a bit more stable, I took that risk. Seeing that he had multiple exterior wounds and had lost so much blood already. He is being prepared right now. And you, my dear, should get back into your room before I call a nurse."

Iris felt like snapping at the man to shut up and let her be; she felt fine and wished to be with her friend. Not to mention that she still wanted to know what happened to everyone else. And if anyone else had-

_No. Don't go there._

One of the nurses opened the door a crack. "He's ready, doctor." In return, he nodded.

Yet, she knew he was probably right. Even if she'd still pass by the Reception before she actually went back to her room.

"Alright, I'll do that. Will you please let me know when Rui's operation is over?"

"Sure." Smiling once again, the nice man opened the door to the division Rui was in and led the bed away, two nurses following while the rest stayed behind to clean up the mess.

She sighed deeply. _I feel so god damn hopeless._ Another plant of the building caught her eye and the young woman headed towards it.

However, before she reached, someone turned the corner. The young intern that was in the elevator earlier.

_…Shit.  
_  
The tall man almost seemed not to notice her, but then, his eyes ended up landing on hers and his pace slowed down. "Weren't you the one in the elevator?"

"Umm-"

"Yeah, you were, I remember your bandaged wrists." He seemed proud of himself. Then, realization dawned. _Slow, isn't he?_ "Wait, you're no intern or nurse, you're a patient! This is the first floor, young lady, you mustn't be here!"

Things _**really **_never go your way, do they?

The doctor-to-be was still talking (more to himself) about the issue and Iris hoped he'd just point to the elevator and order her to go back to the third floor. Which she'd ignore, of course.

Unfortunately, he placed a hand over her shoulder and started leading her towards it. _Is he really going to… __**escort**__ me to my damn room?_

He was. He did.

"Room 316, right? There you go." he opened the door for her. Even if it was a nice gesture, Iris felt like kicking his shin. "You shouldn't wander around."

"Right. Thanks."

"No problem."

The click of the door felt ten times louder to her ears and, eerily, it sounded as if it was a lock of a cell.

Well, she felt as if she was in a cell…

She sat on the bed heavily, letting the air in her lungs through clenched teeth. This was just _so_ annoying.

The girl then blinked when, from the folds of her bed clothes, a letter very similar to the first one fell to the floor. Leaning over, she picked it up.

_Miss Blanchett,_  
_  
__New information has arrived. Ray Kon is well, however, in a comatose condition. Spencer Petrov is in surgery; he suffered several stab wounds in the abdomen and is critical. Ian Papov has head trauma and is in a very delicate situation; his state is reserved and very serious._

_There are several missing persons Unfortunately, Tenebrae Rosa, Yuriy Ivanov and Kai Hiwatari are in between that group._

_Rui Denzel will soon enter the O.R. for an urgent operation due to internal bleeding and Bryan Kuznetsov has just been declared as stable._

_Best regards,  
Naïde Araújo, the Head Nurse_

Best regards, indeed.

* * *

Eventually, she managed to fall asleep after another nurse brought her a light dinner. That day's trek had, in the end, tired her down more than what she had first thought.

Iris turned her head to the side from lying on her back. A single note, crisp and short, stared at her from the nightstand.

_Lass,_

_The operation has just ended (23.12). Your friend Rui will be alright._

She smiled. _At least, today started out better._

The girl also decided it was time to get breakfast and she knew she'd need more than hospital food. Besides, it was still very early, around six in the morning, so the nurse wouldn't come any time before seven or eight.

She took the new set of clothes that were at the foot of the bed and did what she could for her figure in the little private bathroom she had by taking a good, long shower. After weeks out in the forest, it really did feel wonderful.

* * *

Suddenly, a loud siren approached.

Usually, she'd wave it off as something banal, even if unfortunate, a random ambulance passing by.

But the "cafeteria" (It was a vending machine. Her mind just called it "cafeteria", because she thought it funny. What could she say? Being alone with your paranoid, random thoughts is not good) wasn't too far away from the entrance to the "Urgencies" section of the hospital, so the sound was only getting louder and louder until she believed the stupid vehicle was just around the corner…

…It technically _was_ around the corner, but still, that was meant to be taken in the figurative sense, not literal.

Then again, she was bored just standing there with her empty Ice Tea and wrapper of cupcake. Throwing that into the bin, Iris crossed the room.

It was a total mess.

Sick people leaning on walls, against corners, everywhere one looked. Yet, the stretcher still found a way to zigzag around them all. Like in those overly sappy, overly sad and overly copied television series, the few free doctors jogged up to the side of the paramedics.

"Sixteen year old, male, suffered a deep wound in his right thigh." One of the latter ones was saying, "It hit the femoral vein-"

"Did you stop the-?"

"The perforation is jagged, I couldn't see clearly-"

"Trauma 1, now!"

"Anything else of importance, Daniel?"

"Some more abrasions in the torso and a cut to the temple, but-"

But Iris heard no more. As the stretcher passed her by, she saw a pale complexion, scarily pale lips, an aristocratic nose and high cheekbones, fanned by long dark eyelashes (which she often thought were too long for a boy, even if said boy would kill her if she said so) that hid what she knew to be electric blue hues. Marring that skin were a few droplets and tracks of caked and drying blood, possibly originated from the gash near his left temple. The colour of the sticky liquid gave the colour of the teen's hair a run for its money, as blood red as it was.

"Yuriy…" it was only a whisper at first, until Iris found it in herself to break into a run. "_**Yuriy**_!"

The half dozen of medical staff pushing along the stretcher paused momentarily, a bit surprised, as the girl-that-sprouted-from-no-where glued herself to the nearest limb of their current patient, his right hand, and brought it to her lips. The dread was clear in her eyes.

"Umm, Miss, we need to-"

"I'll go with you."

The doctor who spoke, one of the doctors who had hurried to Tala's side, lifted an eyebrow, even as everyone else kept pushing the improvised bed towards the lifts. "You can't, you're not allowed to-"

"I will go with you people." Iris repeated, slowly and quietly. She was pleased to see his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. "I need to be with Yuriy, I was simply told he was missing. You won't stop me."

The man pressed his lips together, but did not try to argue again. "Just don't get in the way, alright?"

Iris stood a little to the side as the people around her worked in Trauma 1, feeling as if Brazilian was a foreign language all over again as all kinds of tools with the weirdest names were passed back and forth. She didn't bother checking if they were making any progress. She knew they were. That was just how Tala was, he didn't know when to give up and he wouldn't start now.

"Anyone knows his blood type-"

"A+." they stared, but followed her orders.

So, she simply kept her eyes on his features, waiting patiently for him to wake up. She knew he would. He never failed her.

"Umm… Miss?" one nurse stared at her weirdly. It clearly said "You aren't supposed to be here.".

And like she had lied to all other random nurses, "I'm his sister." she lied to this one as well. The woman left her alone, so it was ok.

True to her predictions, Tala woke up some minutes later. His eyes opened halfway, unfocused, darker than usual, until they regained their normal sharpness with just a blink. For some reason, he turned his neck in her direction so that he would see her instead of the ceiling. He blinked again, then rasped a quiet "You're alive," in a jumble of Russian and English with that barely noticeable accent of Moscow downtown of his she so enjoyed to mock. He didn't seem to notice.

The doctors (who had stopped fumbling so much, which probably meant they had stopped the bleeding on that vein the other one had spoken about) did notice, however, that he had awakened. She watched as they questioned her friend (who did **not** wish to be questioned, by the way) with growing fondness and hid her anxiousness when one of them said they would leave them alone for a little while as the Reception had to notify them about Tala's room and so on.

Silence followed as Iris crossed the room and took his hand again. The other squeezed it in return. "I thought I had lost you for sure."

"Oh? And get rid of me just because of a stupid, off-key explosion? Don't insult me."

Her expression turned serious at that piece of information. "I remember nothing, Wolf. Nothing at all, just the finals. What the heck happened?"

The boy took a long intake of breath, closing his eyes. "This isn't really the best of times to talk about this, Rin… I'm drugged, fifty percent of my bloodstream is probably morphine by now and I ache all over." His words were a bit slurred already; he'd soon fall asleep, she knew. Yet, he continued. "Speak with… Ten.. she was taken in the next ambulance… I think. Paramedics said I was worse, so I-" he paused to let out a quiet hiss. "-arrived first, by helicopter. The wound on my thigh and all. She.. she's alright. Small things."

Some more weight left her shoulders. _Thank goodness._ Now, she simply didn't know about the well-being of three people: Tiff, Shauna… and Kai.

Iris then prepared to tell him to get some shut eye and rest – he well needed it, it seemed – and that she'd try and find Ten in this labyrinth, but he squeezed her hand again.

"Wait." His eyes were barely open, but he still managed to glance towards the remnants of his clothes. They had been mostly ripped by the medics so that they could tend to his injuries. "Wolborg. Take it. In my pocket. And Lugiohan… Ten has her."

"Spaseeba." (1)

"Pazhalooysta." (2) Tala didn't last another second and, smiling at his calm features, she leaned in and pecked his forehead.

* * *

It was a feat, worthy of a bloody epic story, but Iris managed to complete her mission.

The fact that she had stolen a doctor's white coat helped when she (_**finally**_) reached the Reception.

"Rosa, Tenebrae, here it is." The nice receptionist, a woman in her mid thirties that had really, really curly hair and a smile one wouldn't help but copy, said while brandishing one sheet proudly. "She will be settled in room 320, doctor, she will arrive within the hour. Her injuries are not serious."

The girl stifled a laugh, eyeing the name on the older one's chest. "Thank you very much, Vanessa. See you later."

In the lift, her fingers found Wolborg's sharp edges deep in her pocket and she traced them carefully. It helped her calm down. At the back of her mind, she sensed a cool presence, a quiet howl that sounded like a wolfish sigh. Iris smiled; it was good to feel Wolborg there with her. Even if she'd prefer Lugiohan.

Room 320 wasn't too far away from hers. In fact, it was just two doors down and right around the corner. Obviously, it was still empty.

Iris opted to wait in her own room for lack of a better thing to do. The sun was high in the sky now and steadily warming up. It should be nearing eleven o'clock.

_Wolbog?_

: Yes, Praeceptrix? :

_Could you… tell me what happened?_

There was silence for long minutes. It was obvious the Ice Wolf did not wish to answer, so Iris sent him her emotions from the day before. The horrible sense of not knowing, of feeling guilty, her despair, her reaction when reading the two messages, when seeing Bryan and Rui, poor Rui who had seemed so different to her, and finally, the brief relief of seeing Tala.

: I should not be the one telling you, child… : the reply finally came, reluctant and slow, as if the bit beast was choosing his words carefully.

He told her of the curious cloud formations above the centre of the forest and how the Demolition Boys and the BladeBreakers started heading towards it. Told her about Ten's sudden, frantic appearance and haste in getting them away from there and even showed her a short memory from Tala's point of view of the scene. Ten had then informed the rest about Iris's fainting.

Wolborg also told her about the way Tiago had taken the lead and how Axel was found. How the beybladers found Rui's unconscious form. Rui's version of things and raw anger. How they decided to follow the obvious trails in the foliage and the remaining twin and Kenny went back to call for backup.

But he refused to say more after they had found the rocky protuberance.

_But-!_

: I sense Deathscythe. And Lugiohan as well. They feel… uncommonly weak. :

Iris knew she had lost him there. He had retreated from her mind and was probably trying to reach the other two bit beasts. _At least, I guess that means Ten's here._

She headed towards her door and leaned her ear against it. She had to hear the nurses bringing her up and then leaving, before she went to room 320. She took the chance to mull over the new data.

_It makes no sense… Why did I faint? What caused me to faint? Was it even provoked? And what the heck attacked them? Was it the same thing that injured them all? Or is it something else that is escaping me all together?_

Knowing half the story simply sprouted more questions. She needed the full version.

_I'm getting a migraine…_

Just then, she heard it. Footsteps and light talk. And, in the background, a steady sound. The sound wheel chairs from this hospital did.

"If you… bring… to… okay?" half the conversation was still lost to her.

"Sure. Thank you."

But the answer was crystal clear. And, like Kai and Yuriy's own stance, frame, eyes and tone of voice, she'd recognize this particular voice in a crowd as well. It was Ten's.

"Alright then, don't be shy, we'll… sure… so that… strong…"

As they had passed by her door, the conversation faded once again.

Another quarter of an hour passed before she heard the nurses pass by again, now reverting back to their native language, meaning that Ten was now in the room.

_Excellent._ It was time.

Iris stepped out of the room silently and trudged down the hall. She knocked on the door thrice and heard a "Come in," from the other side. Smiling, she entered.

Her friend was sitting up in the bed, her right side facing her and a half closed window behind her. Like Bryan, one of her arms was broken, her left one. There was a patch along the right side of her jaw. The shirt of the hospital didn't show much else, but she didn't look worse than the other three she had seen indeed. Her right leg poked from between the covers, bare from the mid-thigh down, and other than a few scratches and bruises, it seemed well enough.

Her expression, flabbergasted and downright surprised (in a good way), was what made Iris laugh though, along with the relief that swept her.

"The heck- Oh, forget it." Ten smiled tiredly in return, "The important thing is that you're alright."

"I am, yeah." She shrugged and finally crossed the room. The two shared a quick, one-armed hug.

"Care to explain why you're wearing a doctor's coat?"

"Long story." Iris was quick to tell her all she knew up till that point, about everyone's state. Both girls dropped their heads when the three deaths were brought up.

"Tala is ok, then." The slightly older girl sighed, nodding. "Thanks for letting me know. I was worried back there. The wound on his thigh looked pretty deep. So much blood…"

"I saw them treat him. They started giving him one blood unit and another three were waiting. He's sleeping now, mostly because of the painkillers."

"Not even he gets rid of that side effect, hm." They shared a conniving grin.

"Before he fell asleep, he told me you had my 'blade with you."

"Oh." The other blinked, then reached behind her pillow. "Yes. Here."

: Mistress… : Lugiohan's fond voice sounded in her mind, making her smile.

_I missed you, my friend._

: And I, you. :

"I found her beside-" Ten's voice faltered and Iris's attention was brought back to her. "-beside Axel, by the bey-dish."

That brought her back to the matter at hand. "Ten…"

Said young woman seemed to know what her next question would be; there was an apprehensive and uneasy look in her eyes already.

"After you guys entered that cave you found… What happened out there?"

...TBC...

* * *

**Vocabulary:  
****(1):** Thank you, in Russian.

**(2):** You're welcome, in Russian.

**Thanks to:**  
Tenebrae Rosa: **Glad you liked it n.n And thanks for the error xP**

**Dark: Et voilá. Cliffie. And I finally got a chance to use everyone's last name, isn't that grand? It was just four months this time. Inspiration kinda fled, then I was attacked by a plot bunny. So, this was written. Less than three days. Amazing, no? Please do review. Thank you.**

**Note: There are a lot of repetitions, I know. It was meant to be that way.**** So that the reader had access to Iris's complete and utter confusion and frustration. It is better expressed with reiteration.  
**


End file.
